


What Fates Impose

by Ohzee41



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-02-01
Packaged: 2019-03-09 19:22:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 41,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13488141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ohzee41/pseuds/Ohzee41
Summary: When the NX-01 comes across a lone Suliban cruiser, they discover a human captive with ties to another captain from the future.  Destined to help build the Federation, the Suliban seek to stop the mysterious person from meeting Archer, but can they stop what is meant to be?





	1. Prologue: The Oracle

> _"Looking at these stars suddenly dwarfed my own troubles and all the gravities of terrestrial life. I thought of their unfathomable distance, and the slow inevitable drift of their movements out of the unknown past into the unknown future."_  
>  ― H.G. Wells, The Time Machine

**Stardate 45403.79 (May 27, 2368)**

A group of small children ran past Captain Picard and his away team as they met with the Chieftain of the Anoushkain people. These sprite-like youths laughed happily as they threw a large rubber ball at one another. It was one of many toys sent by the Federation in an attempt to help the young Anoushkains to recover and gain a sense of real childhood. Captain Picard watched them and smiled. These young ones had already spent too much of their youth digging through rubble for loved ones and picking through trash for food.

Once they had numbered into the millions, but political wars had brought heavy casualties, causing doctors to become overworked and at times scarce. With no one to tend the infirmed disease began to run rampant. With emphasis on weapons and more soldiers, less and less people were available to grow food or raise livestock causing widespread starvation. Eventually the population of Anoushka was reduced to a mere 20,000 or so. Now trying to rebuild their society, they had gone back to using their hands to build and create, from everyday textiles and food production, to hand crafted items such as jewelry and art. Still, they could not completely do it on their own. Before the wars began they had achieved warp technology and been in contact with the United Federation of Planets, although never a member. Now the Federation offered their support by sending whatever supplies were necessary to help them rebuild.

United Earth was particularly sympathetic to the plight of these people. It remembered well its own last great World War and the death of 600 million humans. Using eco-terrorism, nuclear weapons and genocide, various governments did their best to wipe out the human race. They might have succeeded too, were it not for a few brave individuals who sought to save lives rather than destroy them. Earth was still trying to recover when Zefram Cochran made his historic flight and caught the attention of the Vulcans.

Seeing a society so reminiscent of its own, the earth government was only too happy to lend aid and bring the difficulties of the Anoushkain people to the Federation's attention. On this occasion the  _Enterprise-D_  had been sent to deliver the provisions and despite his first officer's objections, Captain Picard chose to take a personal interest in the mission and meet with the Anoushkain leader, Duna. They spoke together for quite some time and Picard was most impressed with their progress. The soil was improving all the time and nourishing food was once more being harvested. Better shelters were being built and more schools were opening. A few of their people were beginning to study medicine and assist with the Starfleet doctors. At times they were able to handle less serious illnesses and wounds on their own. Captain Picard was pleased to see how far they had improved. He assured Duna that he would give a glowing report to Starfleet and the Federation.

As the other officers prepared to beam back up to the ship, the captain started to join them only to stop when he heard a small sound like a dove call out to him. He turned and saw an old woman slowing coming towards him. This tiny woman had hair of the purest white and her deeply tan skin only enhanced its brilliance. This woman was Duna's mother, Bohlale. The captain had met her when he first arrived on the planet and recalled that when she saw him, her eyes had grown wide and almost glowed. Her gnarled hands carefully took his. Her fingers gently moved along every line then carefully turned his hands over and studied every fine detail there too. Once again her eyes took on a glow as she began to speak to him.

"Things of the past do not always stay there. You have been presented with many different directions in your life and chosen as wisely as you could. Along one such path you planted a seed from which will come to you the rarest flower with a mighty spirit. Cultivate the blossom carefully, captain. When joined with the bowman, two arrows will be fired leading to a harvest beyond your imagining." She then reached into her hair and took from it a hand carved bone comb inlaid with sparkling blue gems and held it out to him. "Take this for your little one." He started to object and tell her that he had no children, but stopped. In this culture it was a grave insult to not accept a gift. Graciously he took it from her then with a polite bow told her 'thank you'.

Beaming back on board the ship, Captain Picard headed to his quarters to put the comb in a safe place. As he walked he looked it over and marveled at its craftsmanship. The bone was from a creature called a herensuge that was reptilian. When it was time to die the beasts travel to a particular place not unlike earths mythic elephant graveyard. From there the Anoushkains harvested the bleached bone and carved it into many tools and items. This was a treasure indeed.

Returning to his quarters he took the bone comb and placed it on a shelf where it could be displayed. His mind returned to what the old woman had said and it troubled him. What had she meant? Perhaps she was referring to seeds of good work and that everything that he had his crew accomplished would be remembered, but somehow that didn't seem to fit.

"Bridge to Picard." Said a crewman over the comm system.

"Picard Here." He answered swiftly, rather glad to put aside the words of Bohlale.

"You have a personal message from earth, Sir."

"Put it through to my quarters."

"Yes, captain."

Sitting down at his desk and looking at the computer screen, he was momentarily surprised. He had expected to see his sister-in-law Marie or his nephew Rene, but it was neither. He found himself looking into the face of an acquaintance from years ago, Dr. Charlotte Cashile. Prior to commanding the  _Enterprise-D_  he been in a relationship with her sister, Solenne, a very close, personal relationship. When it was over he had lost touch with Lotte (no one called her Charlotte) and couldn't imagine why she was seeking him out now.

"Dr. Cashile, it's been at least five years. I hope you and your husband Frederick are well."

"It's been more like six." She was trying to act pleasant, but he could see that something was wrong. Her downcast eyes were red and slightly swollen, clearly she had been crying recently. Her breathing seemed rapid and hand fidgeted. "I believe the last time we saw each other we were celebrating my sister's . . ." At the word 'sister' she could no longer speak and her eyes immediately filled with tears. Despite her best efforts, whatever was weighing on her heart came to the surface causing her to weep openly as though a dam had broken.

"What's happened, Lotte?" He asked. She took some deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. " She said softly as she tried to get herself under control. "I just heard that Solenne is . . ." She wiped her eyes with a handkerchief before continuing. "Solenne is dying." As Lotte's grief came out in her tears, Captain Picard sat forward, stunned. This didn't seem possible. Commander Solenne Bennett was a vibrant, healthy woman, how could she be dying.

"How . . ." He started to say.

"I don't know. All they said was that there had been an incident involving Addanc. The matter is still under investigation and I would be informed of their findings as soon as it was complete. There isn't even enough time for me to get to her. " To say that Captain Picard was shocked by this news was an understatement. Addanc was a poison derived from a plant that grew on the planet Teivel and there was no antidote. From everything he had heard and read, it was a terrible way to die. He could think of no one he would wish it upon, not even the Borg. He certainly couldn't bear the thought of Solenne dying alone in such a torturous fashion.

Thinking of her brought back numerous warm memories as well as a few bitter ones. They had met when she was one of the science officers on his previous ship the  _USS Helios_. What had started out as a professional relationship quickly and unexpectedly blossomed into a deeper and more intimate romance that lasted for more than two years. Since their parting he had tried very hard to banish his memories of her, but never succeeded. "I have some contacts that should be able to tell me what happened as well as fill me in on the investigation. I will be happy to relay anything I learn to you." He assured her.

"How is Danaë? Is she safe?" She waited a moment for a response, but he didn't seem to understand what she was talking about. "Have they not contacted you about her? I tried to find out where she is but nobody will tell me anything. It's like she's vanished." Lotte looked at the captain pleadingly. "I thought surely they would have contacted you about her." This statement puzzled Captain Picard. He had never heard the name before nor had been in contact with anyone on  _Regula-16_.

"I'm not aware of who this Danaë is, nor why they would be contacting me in regards to her? How is she involved in all this?" At his look of bewilderment Lotte was dumbstruck.

"I thought . . ." Suddenly a realization swept through her and she placed her hand over her mouth momentarily stunned and unsure of how to proceed. "Oh my God, Solenne didn't . . . she never told you. I thought . . ." She looked at the confusion on his face and knew she was going to have to explain everything. "Jean-Luc, Danaë is . . . she's your daughter." At the words, Captain Picard's eyes grew wide and shock swept across his face.

"Daughter." He echoed, his face becoming a bit pale.

"I assumed you knew because Solenne told me that she was going to tell you before the Enterprise left space dock. She even rewrote her will so that if anything were to happen to her, Danaë would be given into your custody. I assumed that you two had discussed it." He looked so stricken that Lotte felt almost ashamed. "I'm so sorry Jean-Luc, this was not how you should have found out." He sat there in silent contemplation for a moment before speaking again.

"When the child born?"

"May 15, 2364." Her birth was five months after they had left space dock. A painful realization came to him as he suddenly recalled the last time he saw Solenne. She had contacted him requesting to speak with him face to face regarding an important matter she wanted to talk to him about. Busy with preparations for the Enterprise and still hurt by her silent and abrupt departure, he had cancelled their meeting. When she had shown up at Starfleet Headquarters, there had been a very short exchange of cold words and the reason she wanted to see him never came up. In truth, he hadn't really let her say much before walking away. He could suddenly see the mistake he had made and a deep regret filled him. He prided himself on his ability to listen. It was a skill that had served him well and made him an accomplished diplomat. When Solenne had needed him, he had refused to listen. S _he must have thought I didn't want her or the . . ._ , he stopped his thoughts there. "Are you alright, Jean-Luc?" Lotte asked, bringing him back to the moment.

"Lotte, you have my word that I will be contacting  _Regula 16_  and looking into this matter immediately." He assured her, composing himself. "I can't begin to express to how deeply sorry I am for this tragedy. Your sister was . . .  _is_  a very remarkable woman."

"Yes, I know. I never understood what happened between you two, but I know she never stopped loving you or hoping that someday things could be reconciled." At this, the captain was silent a moment. He had loved Solenne very much . . . he still did.

"The child . . ." He started to asked, but he was still somewhat in shock and Lotte could tell.

"You have a beautiful little girl with a very bright mind. You should be very proud." At this encouragement he nodded.

"I will be in touch with you soon again." He assured her. She smiled, relieved to hear this.

"You take care Jean-Luc and please keep in touch, 6 years is too long."

"I will." He signed off then stood and walked to the window. The old Anoushkain woman's words came back to him with vivid recollection.  _Along one such path you planted a seed from which will come to you the rarest flower with a mighty spirit._  If he had been suddenly confronted with the entire Romulan fleet, he would have been less shocked. Why hadn't he listened to Solenne that day? Why in four years had she not contacted him and told him. He would have been there for her . . . for the child. This was something he could never have imagined. He felt so many emotions. He was angry at Solenne for staying silent all this time and sadness at her loss. He felt exhilaration mixed with fear at the prospect of this new life. He needed to go to the bridge and set a new course, but before he left his quarters he whispered softly to himself, "Danaë."


	2. A Hole through time

**Stardate 75467.08 (June 20, 2398) – 30 Years later**

"Danaë! Danaë Picard!" Called out a woman's voice as she hastily left her shuttle craft. She was calling out to a young woman at a rest station, kneeling down to tie her shoe. Looking up, the young woman swept some loose curls from in front of her face then peering through her sunglasses saw the source of the voice. Her heart leapt with excitement as she recognized the older woman emerging from a shuttle and coming towards her.

"Aunt Lotte!" Danaë cried out in excitement then quickly enveloped her in a hug. "I thought you were studying the marine life on Priam V?"

"I was, but I received a communication from your father and needed to take a temporary leave of absence." At this Danaë immediately became serious. To anyone associated with Captain Jean-Luc Picard he was a great man, celebrated officer, he had earned the respect and admiration of friends and colleagues alike. To this young woman the name conjured up any number of emotions, some that were wonderful and other that were painful. She could picture him clearly, his sharp eyes, commanding voice and authoritative figure.

"The last I heard he was promoted to admiral and keeping busy with Starfleet . . . and his wife, Beverly"

"They're divorced and your father has retired. He went back to his family home in France." At the news Danaë couldn't help feeling pity for her him. Exploration was his life. The thought of what could be behind that next star or what could be learned from a new species had more power to make his heart dance than anything. He could never be content on earth tending vineyards.

"Pity."

"Pity?" Aunt Lotte raised of her eyebrow a bit surprised. "Because of his divorce?"

"No, it's a pity he's retired. Exploring space was his passion, his mistress . . . his reason to wake up each morning. He will not be happy sitting at home making wine." She answered as she grabbed a water bottle from her backpack and took a drink.

"What happened between you two? I remember a little girl who wanted nothing more than to go wherever her father led. Your heart dances to the same tune that his does. I don't understand, what are you doing out here, Danaë?" She was quite correct in her assertions. To say that this young woman had her father's eyes was true, both physically and figuratively.

"What am I doing out here? I'm exploring on my own terms, and right now I'm headed to the Grand Teton National Park where I will climb Stargazer's Point and find out if there really is a small monument left by President Archer in memory of his late wife." Her answer was flippant, though technically she was telling the truth, it was her current destination. It was also a feeble attempt at changing the subject. The truth of the matter was not one she wanted to discuss. The truth recalled too many painful memories.

"That's not what I mean and you know it." Her aunt's voice became sharp with irritation.

"Things happen . . . people grow . . . sometimes closer, sometimes apart."

"He's loves you." Lotte interrupted.

"I know, but am I deserving of it?" Her words were soft but clear. Her aunt couldn't imagine where this was coming from and for a moment didn't know what to say. Danaë looked out at the horizon and a notion struck Lotte that her niece had spent these many years constantly moving in a hopeless attempt to elude or find something . . . but what, she didn't know.

"Of course you are deserving of it, you're his child."

"Blood does not automatically make one deserving." This statement came out a bit harsher than she had intended, but the old wounds never seemed to go away. Trying to keep her composure, she took another drink of water. "When we spoke last, he said I was willful, defiant and unwilling to listen to reason and . . . and he was absolutely correct." Here she stopped as sudden pang of remorse went through her. "Surely you didn't seek me out just to dredge up the past."

"Actually, your father asked me to find you." At this, Danaë suddenly turned to her aunt in surprise.

"As I recall, Captain Picard was respected enough in Starfleet that he could have requested and gotten an entire armada to come looking for me, why did he ask you?" She asked.

"It's a personal matter, He can't physically go himself and he didn't want Starfleet involved in it. I think he also figured that if you saw Federation personnel you would probably run, but with me you might at least listen." Lotte explained. It was a correct assumption of course, she would have taken off. What had her more puzzled was why he was suddenly so interested in her.

"I've been out here for fifteen years, why is he suddenly so concerned about finding me now?"

"Your father has been diagnosed with Irumodic Syndrome." The older woman answered. At the news Danaë momentarily couldn't breathe. She had heard of the disease before. It had caused her great-grandfather to change drastically from an intelligent and powerful man to a hollow shell of himself. Her father had told her stories about him and though he never said it she had sensed that he feared it would claim him too. The disease would eat away at the synaptic pathways causing his once sharp mind to become confused and delusional. This process could take anywhere from two to several years before he would finally pass away. "He wants to see you very badly."

"Damn." She murmured to herself as she caught her breath. She hated to hear that. True, they had not spoken for a long time, but she couldn't bear the thought of losing him in such a cruel way. "So," She said, kicking a rock into the road. "How bad is it?"

"The doctor says that he is still in the early stages, but when I spoke to him I wasn't so sure. He was excited and kept talking about how he had been visited by Q and something about you being in the past. Federation history and he said the name Archer. He was so agitated I couldn't really understand what he was talking about. The one thing he seemed completely clearheaded about was his desire to find you as quickly as possible."

"He's hoping we can heal the wounds between us. He and grandfather never had the chance to reconcile and he wants to be sure that we do."

"Is that so much to ask?" Her Aunt waited, but at first there was no answer. Danaë looked back down the road she had been walking on and sighed. La Barre France seemed so far away.

"I'll go to him. Maybe it's time to work things out."

"I'll let him know." Lotte answered, very much relieved. "Before I go, he asked me to give you something. I told him it could wait until you got there but he became distressed and insisted I give it to you now." She went back to the shuttle and brought out a rectangular box that appeared to be around a foot long and several inches wide.

"What is it?" Danaë asked, taking it from her.

"I don't know, he didn't tell me. All he would say was that it was imperative that you got it." That certainly sounded like her father. She opened her pack and took out a rolled up tank top then slipped it over the one she was wearing. She then pulled out a light jacket that she had rolled up and wrapped it around her waist. It would be fine there until she got to the transport. She then squeezed the box into her backpack, a tight fit, but she was able to pull the zipper shut and that was the important part.

"Get in the shuttle and I can take you to him." Lotte suggested.

"I appreciate the offer, but I would prefer to walk." The idea of seeing her father again filled her with so many emotions and she wanted the time on the road to think.

"I understand." The older woman looked at her niece and couldn't help thinking how much she resembled her sister Solenne. Indeed Danaë favored her mother in many ways. From her gold curls carefully pinned at the nape of her neck to her forward nature. Her gift for learning and retaining knowledge she had come by from both sides of her family tree, but no one could deny that she had Solenne's temper. Though she had a slender build like her mom, she was well muscled from years of living on the move in the rugged outdoors. She had often wondered how different things might have been if her sister had not died, though it probably would have made no difference. For all that she was like her mother, she was so much more her father's daughter. Her determination, athletic prowess and desire to explore were all traits she had inherited from him. "It's not too late you know. Starfleet can always use someone like you." Her aunt assured her.

"I'll make you a promise. When President Jonathan Archer himself asks me to, then I will once again take the entrance exam and join Starfleet."

"Just go see your father." She answered with an eye roll, then gave her niece one more hug before boarding the shuttle craft. Danaë stood silently and watched as the craft rose into the sky before vanishing into the distance.

Knowing that the nearest transport station was at least five miles behind her, she did an about face and started back the way she came. She knew she would arrive before dark and then in the morning she would be able to board and take it to France. The road before her was good and she was making excellent time. As she hiked along she couldn't help thinking about her father, Jean-Luc Picard. Her favorite image of him was sitting on the edge of her bed and reading to her as she tried to go to sleep. It didn't matter if he read Grimm's fairytales or Shakespeare, he just had a voice meant for recitation.

If she were honest, Danaë had not begun to understand the man her father was until she had left Starfleet and struck out on her own. Handed into the captain's custody at such a young age had proved problematic for both of them. He readily admitted that he was no family man and when children were present his discomfort showed. This captain, who never backed down from a hostile species, had been utterly stunned to learn that he had a daughter. His unease did not abate in the slightest when he learned how young she was. At the age of 62 he was very set in his habits and ways. He had no idea what to do with a child, especially a small girl of four. Yet amid all the uncertainty there was also overwhelming happiness that this child was really his. In time he became more relaxed in his new role, particularly after the discovery of an ancient alien probe from the planet of Kataan. He raised her, as best he could on a star ship, according to the same ancient traditions his parents had instilled in him. This included an array of classical studies that most might have considered unnecessary. He delighted in her quick mind and hunger to discover new things and more than once placed different challenges before her to see what she could do.

Jean-Luc Picard tended to be a private and guarded man, but this became difficult once she had entered his life. His circle of close friends, mostly senior officers, became quite familiar with Danaë, though initially they had been quite surprised to learn of her existence. The captain had never been one to discuss his personal affairs especially when it came to his relationships. In fact, with the exception of Guinan and Dr. Crusher, no one had known of his lengthy affair Commander Solenne Bennett. They were even more shocked to learn he had a child by her. When she came to live on board the  _Enterprise_ , Danaë became something of a princess as it were. She had wonderful memories of trying to play Commander Riker's trombone, petting Data's cat, or ice cream with counselor Troi. Each of her father's senior staff had their way of spoiling her. Perhaps that in itself was why she stopped getting along with her father. She had wanted nothing to change in her world and when it looked as though it might, her resentment began and eventually came to a head at their last encounter.

If there was a moment in time she desired to take back it was their last meeting at the conclusion of her freshman year at the Academy. Now she harbored great hope that their relationship could yet be mended. After-all, he had sent Aunt Lotte to find her and had asked specifically for her to come to him. Walking along the road she wondered how you ask forgiveness for misplaced anger and hurtful words. How does a child face her father after so many years of silence?

Rounding a corner she saw two creatures standing in the lane. She had never seen anything like them before. They were bald with rough coarse flesh that was a mixture of greens, yellows and reds. They wore dark red biomimetic body suits and stared at her with yellow eyes. Something about them made her uneasy and she placed her hand on the phaser she carried in a holster on her side. When they started towards her she quickly left the road and ducked into the woods.

Looking about her, she saw more appearing amongst the trees. She grabbed her phaser and fired hitting the targets, yet more appeared to take their place. They seemed to be morphing out of the trees and various brush. One managed to grab onto the jacket at her waist. She loosed the tie and it quickly fell away. She fired more shots hitting two more of the creatures. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash just as she was hit by one of their weapons.

How long she was unconscious, she didn't know. Even when she did awaken she found it difficult to stay that way. Everything seemed hazy and her head was spinning. Opening her eyes for a few moments she could see she was on a star ship and those same creatures were standing a few feet away. She tried to move only to find she was strapped down. There was something in her arm too. They were pumping her with some kind of drug. Undoubtedly that was why she couldn't focus or stay alert. She could hear them talking and the universal translator in her pocket made it possible for her to understand the snippets she heard.

"We can't kill her yet.  _He_  wants to see her." Said one.

"The tests prove conclusively that it's her. If we kill her now than there is no possible way that she can meet . . ." Argued another, but his words became indistinct as her mind drifted for a moment. She shook her head and tried to listen further.

"We were given very specific instructions by Silik. We were to find her than bring her back to him ALIVE. He cannot question her if she is dead." Answered the first voice again. She wondered who  _he_  was and who they did not want her to meet. She had never heard the name Silik before and couldn't imagine why he would want her dead. Their words blended into unintelligible sounds as she once more fell into a deep sleep.

In her dreams Danaë was running through the vineyards at her father's home in La Barre. Fast on her heels were those creatures. It seemed that no matter how many she shot more were always there. Even the very grape vines themselves seem to transform into them. Suddenly she could see her family's home up ahead and in the window she could see her father watching. She screamed for him to help her but he didn't. His face became sad as he began to speak.

" _What fates impose, that men must needs abide; it boots not to resist both wind and tide_." Then suddenly he was gone from the window and she was now standing alone before the darkened house. What had he meant by that? She had heard those words before, but couldn't place it. She tried to open the door but it wouldn't budge. She banged her fists against the solid wood and called out for him to answer, but there was no sound. She ran to the window where she had seen him and pressed her face against the glass trying to see inside. Everything was empty, except for a book laying opened on a table before the window. It was open to the play Henry VI but all the words were blurred. She picked up a rock and smashed the glass then carefully stuck her hand inside and unlatched the window. Once opened she crawled inside and found the same book laying open to the same page on the floor, but this time pieces of the glass were on the page magnifying six words.

" _What fates impose, men must abide_." She read softly to herself. Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement and immediately looked up to see her father dressed in his captain's uniform and looking at her with genuine pride.

" _The wheel has come full circle_." He said before disappearing.

Danaë suddenly awoke as the ship was suddenly rocked by a violent blast. She opened her eyes to see a man, a human man, quickly unstrapping her from the table. Something about his round face and sandy blond hair seemed familiar yet the fog in her brain would not allow her to focus long enough to understand why.

"Can you walk?" He asked her. His question was urgent, but her confused brain didn't register it right away.

"Human." She answered.

"What?" He asked, puzzled.

"You're a human." She said

"We don't have time for this. Can you walk?" He asked again.

"Yes . . . I think." He helped her to her feet only to have her fall against him.

"I'll help you. He said. He put her arm around his neck then wrapped his arm around her waist to help support her as they started to move.

"Wait, where's my back pack?

"You don't need it." He assured her.

"Yes I do. Everything I own is in that pack." Before she could say anything else another voice called out.

"There is a red backpack over here." This man's voice had an accent like her father's but not quite as deep.

"That's it." She said. He assured her that he had it then quickly as they could they moved down the corridor then though a hatch where a shuttle awaited them. She felt the soft tufted seat against her as the man set her down, then once more she drifted into sleep.

There were no dreams to haunt Danaë this time only a calmness. She could hear the birds as she stood among the vineyards. She plucked a grape and tasted it. It was sweet and robust in flavor. Clearly the vine was ready to be harvested for wine. Everything seemed so perfect. She felt she could stay there forever. A light breeze rustled the trees and for a moment she thought she could hear the faint sound of her father's voice softly singing  _Frére Jacques_  the way he had when she was little. Looking down in the dirt at her feet she saw the words 'wake up' spelled out. In that instant she awoke, her eyes fluttering open for a fraction of a second catching only a quick blurry light before closing them again. She didn't know how long she had been unconscious, but she knew she was not on the same ship. The air smelled better in this place and everything was quieter except for faint humming of the engine. Other sounds started to get her attention next. The slight rustling of leaves and tiny chirps of some animal.

"Where am I?" She asked with a yawn.

"You're on the  _Enterprise_." Answered a rather jovial male voice.

"The  _Enterprise_?" She sighed. "Has Captain Riker been made aware of my presence on board?" Before he could give an answer she mumbled the answer to herself. "Of course he has, he's the captain and would know if any guests were brought on board." Perhaps he doesn't recognize me and hasn't told father yet, she thought to herself. It would at least give her a chance to explain.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, Miss. There is no Captain Riker on this ship."

"If this is a joke, it's not funny. I was there when he was promoted to the rank of captain and given command of the  _Titan_. He commanded it successfully for ten years before being given command of the  _Enterprise_." She opened her eyes and saw two brilliant blue Denobulan eyes looking back at her. She sat up and looked around, her eyes grew wide in disbelief.

"Miss, what year is this?" The Denobulan asked, trying to see if her mental faculties were all there.

"2398 . . . at least . . . it was." She looked all over the room and knew instantly that this was not the  _Enterprise-E_. Taking in the details of the room's interior she began to realize that she knew this ship very well.

"This isn't real. I can't be here." She stood and started to slowly move around the room, her anxiety growing with every moment.

"You need to calm down, miss." He told her, noticing the look of alarm on her face. Checking her pulse readings he could see that it was rapidly increasing. "You were given a powerful sedative by the Suliban it may have affected your memory." He tried to bring her back over to the bed again.

"There is nothing wrong with my memory." She shoved him away and continued walking about the room. Her face drained of color. "This is the  _NX-01_. It has been sitting in a museum for nearly 230 years. None of this possible!" No sooner had she said this and the door to sickbay opened. She instantly knew the man who entered, though her mind could not wrap itself around it. She recognized his broad shoulders, heavy brow, and fine eyes, but he was clearly not the old man she had always seen in pictures. There was no silver hair, or deep lines around the corners of the eyes and mouth. She started to shake her head in disbelief and he in turn stared at her in confusion.

"President Archer." She gasped. Suddenly unable to breath, her head became light. From somewhere in her memory she could hear the echo of her father's voice say,  _the wheel has come full circle_. It was all too much and she fainted.

Both men carried her back to the bed. Dr. Phlox, the Denobulan, began to check her vitals and was relieved that it was nothing more serious than a momentary panic attack. As he continued his scans, Archer looked at young woman his crewmen had rescued. She was several inches shorter then he with a head full of golden curls that were coming loose from a chignon at the nape of her neck. Her face, arms and shoulders were deeply tan from clearly spending quite a bit of time in the sun. Indeed, he found her appearance was quite beautiful with soft, delicate features and, although he only saw them for a moment, brownish green hazel eyes. He couldn't help wondering to himself,  _how did she end up alone so far out in space_?

"She'll be fine captain at least physically, but a moment ago she said some things that have me quite confused. She asked me where she was and I informed her it was the  _Enterprise_. She then wanted to know if Captain Riker knew she was on board."

"Captain Riker?"

"She also told me this same person was captain of the  _Titan_  before assuming command of the  _Enterprise_  and that the current year was 2398. It wasn't until she opened her eyes and looked around that she became agitated. She recognized this ship as the  _NX-01_  and told me it had been in a museum for 230 years. She clearly recognized you, but called you President."

"Are you telling me she is from the future?" Captain Archer asked.

"I don't know. I can run some additional tests and re-verify whether or not the drug she was given is affecting her memory or causing any confusion. One thing is certain,  _she_  definitely believes she is in the wrong time."

Archer gave the go-ahead for Dr. Phlox to perform any exam he thought necessary, but nothing showed up. Each reading proved her to be perfectly normal and healthy. Physically she was in excellent shape. Unfortunately this created a new set of questions. If she was from a future time, how did she get into theirs and why was she with the Suliban? She opened her eyes slowly this time and as they focused she found she was looking into the face of Captain Archer. This time she didn't get upset, only stared at him as he smiled gently at her.

"It wasn't a dream, I'm really here. You're President Archer . . ." She started to say.

" _Captain_  Archer. Perhaps you're just a little confused." He corrected.

"I'm not confused. I know exactly who you are. You are Jonathan Beckett Archer, son of Sally and Henry Archer. Your father developed the warp-5 engine. You were an Eagle Scout with 25 . . ."

"26" He corrected.

"26 badges, a test pilot for the Starfleet warp trials. You became captain of the  _Enterprise NX-01_  which embarked on its maiden voyage in 2151. You helped found the United Federation of Planets, became an Admiral and Chief of Staff at Starfleet Command." Dr. Phlox and Captain Archer looked at each other with uncertainty as she continued to relay facts. "After retiring you became Ambassador to Andoria, a member of the Federation Council then served 8 years as Federation President. Do I really sound confused to you?"

"I'm surprised you don't tell me when I'm going to die." He responded, a little taken back by all she had said.

"I didn't think you would want to know." She answered. "Freshman cadets at the Starfleet Academy are required to take and pass a class on you. It is to ensure that they understand the values and beliefs of the United Federation of Planets. A course in 'why we do what we do'. It was an easy A. The Class on the battle tactics of Garth of Izar was a lot harder." Once again the two men exchanged looks.

"What is your name?" Dr. Phlox asked.

"Danaë." She answered softly,

"Denny . . .?" He responded incorrectly. Danaë smiled. He was not the first nor would he be the last to mispronounce it.

"Dan'-ay-ee." She corrected breaking down the pronunciation. Danaë Picard."

"Miss Picard . . ." Archer began.

"Please, just call me Danaë."

"How did you end up on a Suliban Ship?" He asked.

"Suliban? Is that what they were? I thought most of that species died away over a hundred years ago. According to records they were killed, mostly from a virus that developed from genetic manipulation. I also recall that there is a record of at least two known colonies of Suliban that were wiped out by the Tandarans during a forced relocation from one internment camp to another." Danaë saw the exchange of looks between the captain and the doctor and realized she was speaking as though she were back in her own time. "At least that's how it is in my own time."

"Danaë, what year were you born?"

"2364."

"Do you have any idea how you got on their ship or how you got here?" Captain Archer's expression told Danaë that he was quite uncertain as to whether she was crazy or could have actually been pulled back in time.

"No I don't. Until all of this happened I had never even seen any Suliban. I was backpacking on earth, headed towards my father's home and they just started appearing. When they came after me I shot my phaser at them, but I was quickly overwhelmed."

"Phaser?" Captain Archer asked, rather curious.

"It's a more powerful version of what you call a phase gun or phase pistol . . . whatever. Anyway, when I came to I was on their ship strapped to some kind of table. They were pumping some kind of drug into me that made it hard to stay awake so I couldn't tell everything that was going on. I was able to catch a few things they said though. Apparently someone they were referring to as 'he' wanted to question me. I also heard the name Silik and that there was someone they were trying to prevent me from meeting." She explained.

"I'm familiar with Silik and the 'he' they were talking about was either him or the one pulling his strings. I don't suppose you have any guesses who it is they don't want you to meet?"

"No." She answered. "I can't even tell you if it's someone from my time or yours. To tell you the truth, I don't know how long I was held prisoner by them or how long I've been in your time. What year is this?"

"2152." Dr. Phlox answered. At this answer she could only close her eyes momentarily and sigh.

"So, what happens now?" She asked.

"Until Dr. Phlox releases you, you will remain in sick bay. After that you'll be given guest quarters until we arrive back at Jupiter where another ship will meet us and conduct you back to Earth." His answer was not exactly satisfactory to Danaë. Her father was waiting for her and she simply had to get back to her own time. She was about to ask the captain if it would be possible to send her back when the door to sickbay opened and Sub-Commander T'Pol the Vulcan science officer stepped in with a covered tray. The aroma of chicken soup immediately hit Danaë. With so much going on she had not even noticed how hungry she was.

"Chef was uncertain as to what she would be able to eat so he prepared a simple chicken soup." Even with her emotions repressed, T'Pol still raised an eyebrow in surprise as Danaë grabbed the bowl and began to drink the broth. She then took the spoon and shoveled in the pieces of chicken and noodles as quickly as she could. Suddenly sensible to the three shocked looks at her manners, she slowed down.

"Forgive me, my manners are usually far more proper than this. I've just never been this hungry before."

"We'll leave you in the doctor's care." Archer said attempting to stifle his smile.

Walking with T'Pol down the corridor he told her everything that Danaë had said. Time travel was not possible according to the Vulcan Science Directorate and the sub-commander was inclined to agree with them. Even after experiencing evidence to the contrary, she would not contradict the Directorate. Archer speculated that she did believe, but simply could not admit to it. He told the sub-commander what their guest had to say, but she still seemed unwilling to believe, or perhaps it was just her natural emotionless expression that made Archer think that.

"Do you believe she is from 2398?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know, but she is compelling. What I would really like to know is why the Suliban are interested in her. If she's from the future maybe she has information they want. She did say they wanted to question her. If she's just confused or lying, why would they have her at all?"

"Perhaps, as you say she has information they want. The drugs they used could have rewritten her memories or confused what she thought she heard them say." The sub-commander answered tersely.

"Dr. Phlox has already looked into the possibility and he found no evidence." He waited for her response to this, but she gave none. Her expression might seem unmoved, but that did not mean her mind wasn't trying to solve the puzzle. "You don't think they're trying to prevent her from encountering someone?"

"What I'm saying, is that a person, particularly a human, can hear any number of things when sedated that the brain can easily misinterpret." So saying she went into her quarters leaving Archer alone to think about what she said.

Danaë continued to eat her soup as Dr. Phlox worked with one of his animals and extracted a slimy substance from its skin. Watching him, she noticed that he had the same gentle touch with the creature that he had with patients. She had only met one other Denobulan and her personality was quite similar. It was undoubtedly a characteristic of the species.

"You're a Denobulan, if I'm not mistaken." Danaë said between bites of food.

"Yes, I am." Dr. Phlox answered with his usual smile. "I take it you are familiar with my species."

"Sort of. I've only met one other. " She continued. "During my freshman year at the Academy I entered the 40km-run on Danula II. It's quite a marathon and I would have won except for a Bajoran who tripped me and caused me to break my ankle. I hobbled my way into 3rd place then straight to sickbay. The doctor that treated me was a Denobulan female. I think her name was Kiya. I had never seen such bright blue eyes, well, until now. She also had the gentlest and friendliest bedside manner. Apparently that is a trait of your people."

"Kiya . . . My first wife has a daughter by that name with her third husband. Not an uncommon name. Very charming girl."

The continued to talk as Danaë followed the doctor through his daily tasks of tending his animals. When he used a tribble to feed one of his creatures, she couldn't help the knowing smile that spread across her face. She had heard stories about those prolific little balls of fur. She could recall reading about an incident in 2268 when the  _Enterprise-C_  was expected to protect a vital shipment of quadrotriticale grain. According to the record, a peddler was there at the space station selling tribbles and eventually they multiplied and took over. This would cause a new regulation to be written regarding what was acceptable as a pet on a star ship.

As the day wore on Danaë became more and more restless and just as she was beginning to think she would never leave sick bay, the doors finally opened. She had been expecting the captain, but instead a different man came in. He was shorter than Jonathan Archer with short dark hair and bright blue eyes. Without hesitation he strode up to her and offered his hand which she gladly shook.

"I'm Lieutenant Malcom Reed, head of the Armory and Security. Captain Archer asked me to show you to the guest quarters. That is, if Dr. Phlox is ready to release you."

"She's ready." Dr. Phlox answered cheerfully as he continued feeding his animals. Danaë was already slipping on her backpack and heading for the door when he said this. She was not about to wait any longer.

"I'm Danaë, Lt. Reed, and I need to thank you for your assistance." She said as they entered the corridor.

"My assistance?"

"Yes. I recognize your voice. You were the one who found my backpack. Thank you. You probably thought I was crazy to be so concerned about it at a time like that, but it's everything I own in the world."

"I understand. To you they're not just items, it's your life." He responded then led her in to the mess hall and showed her where everything was before continuing to the lift.

"Do you mind me asking you a question?" He asked as the lift doors closed.

"No, go ahead."

"When I picked up your back pack I noticed a rather large knife on the side. What exactly is that?" He asked.

"That is called a D'K Tahg. It's a Klingon warrior's knife primarily used in hand to hand combat. I replicated this one from the one that my father has." Upon leaving the lift she stopped and took the blade from its sheath and handed it to him. A look of childlike fascination spread across his face as he stared at the shiny straight edged blade. The weight of the handle felt good in his hand. Carefully he moved it around, being very mindful of the blade and the spiked pummel on the handle. Danaë reached over and pressed a tiny button causing two curved secondary blades to open out on either side. "In the Klingon culture these knives are of great ceremonial value and to steal one from a warrior is a grave insult to his honor." She could tell he liked the weapon and suspected he would also enjoy looking at the 24th century phaser she had in her pack. One of a pair, she imagined the other had been lost during her kidnapping. Danaë knew that she could say nothing about the weapon. In fact, she had to be extremely careful of what she said at all times. Her father had been a great believer in the importance of the Prime Directive and he had instilled this in her. The slightest information could so easily contaminate the timeline. After a moment he handed it back and she carefully put it back in its sheath.

Normally Malcolm Reed was a bit introverted when it came to meeting women, not to say that he hadn't had his relationships. He simply was extremely private and believed in a very structured, traditional way of running a ship. Of course, Danaë was not a crew member, and certainly something to look at. Rarely had he met a woman who could educate him on weapons and he definitely wanted to get to know her better.

"You know, we have a movie night about once a week, perhaps you would like to join me." He suggested. She looked at him a bit surprised, prompting him to quickly amend the offer. "It would be as friends of course."

"I haven't seen a movie in a very long time and I'm not saying no, but before I can agree to anything I need to know what's going on and what's going to happen to me. I may not be here by then." She answered.

"I understand." He led her down the corridor then to a door that led into the guest quarters. "If you need anything, just press the comm button." He pointed to the button on the wall then politely excused himself.

Alone, Danaë looked over the guest quarters. There was a small but comfortable sitting area with a couch, a side table and a chair. A small table was positioned next to the door and there was a lone round porthole window near the couch where she could see the stars as they slipped by. Not really much of a view, but then the  _NX-01_  was built for function and less for comfort. The standard amenities of a Galaxy class or Sovereign class star ship could not have been imagined when the keel was laid for the  _NX-01_.

The bedroom boasted a desk with a computer, a basic twin bed with drawers beneath and shelves above. Two more of the porthole windows were positioned on either side of the bed.  _You can't properly admire the stars when the windows are so small_ , she thought to herself. She sat her back pack on the bed, then opening the next door was gratified to see a bathroom with an inviting shower. Nothing in the world could have looked better to her at that moment. She had no idea how many days had passed between her kidnapping and waking up on the  _Enterprise_ , but she felt desperately in need of a shower.

After turning on the water so it could heat up she went back into the bedroom to get her toiletries from her backpack. Unzipping the pack she noticed the box from her father and held it. She felt as though she should open it now, but stopped herself. It could wait until later, she told herself. There had to be a way for her to get back to her own time and then she would open it with him. She simply had to keep her word and return to him. Carefully she opened one of the drawers below the bed and slipped it inside for safe keeping then went back to rummaging through her backpack.  _Whatever you want is always sure to be at the bottom_ , she thought to herself as she found her soap and shampoo. When the shower was hot enough she stepped and immediately began to luxuriate in the hot water against her skin. It felt so good to be clean again.

After the shower she crawled into the bed feeling quite exhausted. The soft murmur of the engines could always lull her to sleep and in the darkness of the room she could almost imagine herself in the quarters she had shared with her father. From her memory she conjured up her father's voice reading to her as he sometimes did to help her sleep. Sometimes, not too often, she would pretend a slight tummy ache or say that she couldn't sleep just so he would read to her. She heard so many wonderful stories that way. Dickens, Poe, Twain were just a few of the authors she had become acquainted with. Thinking back, she could recall the first time he had read to her. She had been crying for her mother and hoping to calm her, he offered to read. At the time he had managed to find a copy of Grimm's Fairytales, but he had not read them exactly as written. She realized later that he had skipped or changed the darker passages since she was so young and he didn't want her to be afraid.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard never wanted his daughter to be afraid. Perhaps it was because he knew as captain he could not be with her to allay her fears since his place was on the bridge. Then again it may have been as simple as helping her to build her courage. The first time she experienced the ship being fired upon she had run and hid in the closet. Later, when her father was finally able to leave the bridge and check on her, she was still there crying and holding her doll, Emmy. This had caused him to consider sending her to live with his brother Robert on earth or with her Aunt Lotte on the planet Galéné. He never sent her away of course and she managed to quell her fears and be as brave as any of them. Anytime she got scared, even as an adult, she found that recalling his voice calmed her.

Lying in her bed on board the  _NX-01_ , Danaë thought back to the last time she could recall him reading to her. She had to have been around ten and had awoke from a nightmare. She still recalled the dream vividly. They were walking to the holodeck to see a play when strange creatures began to appear. Looking back she realized that the creatures in her dream resembled the Suliban. In the dream her father had held on to her hand and ran with her down the corridor calling for security, but they never came. Eventually they were surrounded and she desperately clung to him. Even after all these years she still shuddered at the recollection of them ripping her out of his arms and the sight of him being vaporized by a phaser. How loudly she had screamed and how quickly he had come to her side. He assured her that no one could ever take her away from him and that he would always protect her no matter what they encountered. To calm her and lull her back to sleep he began to read softly to her. She had not understood the story at the time, but eventually she became very familiar with Shakespeare's ' _The Tempest'_. As she drifted off she could hear him again, that wonderful comforting voice.

" _Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises, Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not. Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments will hum about mine ears; and sometime voices, that, if I then had waked after long sleep, will make me sleep again: and then, in dreaming, the clouds methought would open, and show riches ready to drop upon me; that, when I waked, I cried to dream again._ "


	3. A Strange but Familiar World

The mess hall was quite full when Danaë got there the next morning. It seemed strange not to simply walk up to a food replicator and simply order, but as she continuously reminded herself, this was a different time. Moving down the buffet line she began to notice crewmen watching her and quietly whispering. One thing didn't change whether past of future, word spreads quickly on a ship. She wasted no time in filling her plate and was prepared to go back to her quarters when she heard Dr. Phlox ever sunny voice call out her.

"Danaë, you're looking quite well this morning. Please join me. I can always use some company."

"I'd forgotten what life on a star ship was like." She said as she sat down. "If one person knows something then you can bet everyone does. At this point I imagine every crewmen has heard about the strange woman rescued from the Suliban vessel. They might have even heard that I'm not all there and believe I'm from the future." She commented in between bites of eggs and bacon.

"I wouldn't worry about it. It's only natural, with only 83 crewmembers, gossip is bound to spread." He assured her as she took a drink. "In another five minutes they'll be discussing the mating habits of Crewmen's Bennett and Haymen." At his frankness she almost spit out her orange juice, but managed to quickly swallow.

"Well, I see you certainly keep current on all the chatter." Danaë laughed as she set her glass on the table.

"Actually I just love observing. Humans have proven to be quite fascinating. Their habits, manners . . . just the way they interact in different situations has been quite an education."

"I'm glad you think so." She responded taking a bite of toast. "There is a lot of species that find us to be nothing more than a giant pain in the ass. One race in particular has been at the top of that list for as long as I can remember." She was careful not to mention the Romulans by name since she was not certain whether or not first contact had been made, fortunately there were others she was certain about. "The Klingons have never been too happy with us either." Though she said this lightly, she knew it to be quite true. Until the destruction of Romulus in 2381 by a supernova, there had been at best an uneasy peace between the Romulans and Federation that always seemed to be tottering on the brink of war. In the 22nd century she wasn't sure if they had heard of the Romulans yet. Finishing up her breakfast she looked up in time to see Captain Archer coming towards her.

"You look well rested. I hope our guest quarters were comfortable. I'm not sure what accommodations you are used to in your time." He said taking a seat at the table.

"A shower, a change of clothes and good night's sleep does wonders. As for the type of lodgings I'm used to, the last decade and a half I spent mostly sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag. I have to say, there is still no sweeter lullaby than the soft humming of a warp engine."

"Perhaps you would be interested in a tour of the ship, If Phlox is willing to part with you."

"Please, go right ahead" Dr. Phlox assured them. "Besides, I believe I am about see Ensign Rivers once more attempt to convince crewman Taylor to join him for movie night. Perhaps his luck will change." At this, an extremely wide grin spread across his face making Danaë laugh.

"Movie nights give the crew a chance to unwind and socialize. Commander Tucker usually picks what we see so I'm not sure what it will be this time. We won't arrive at Jupiter for about five days so if you're interested then you are more than welcome to attend." The captain explained.

"You are the second person to mention it. Lt. Reed asked me just yesterday. I didn't give him an answer since, I wasn't sure how long I would be on board. Might be fun."

Since they were already on E-Deck Captain Archer began his tour there. She was already familiar with sickbay and the mess hall so there was no point going back, but she did find medical and science labs interesting. He pointed out the escape pods, launch bay and support facilities then showed where the officers and enlisted crew quarters were. In particular, he made sure she could find his, T'Pol's, Commander Tucker's and Lt. Reed's rooms in case she needed anything. The last thing he showed her was the cargo bays before taking her to the main lift.

Standing in the small compartment she suddenly realized that she was staring at him and quickly made herself stop. To say that everything felt a bit surreal to Danaë was an understatement. She could never have imagined herself walking next to Captain Jonathan Archer or talking to him. In the 24th century this man was an absolute legend. It was in his footprints that each subsequent captain would follow. This man walking with her had been the driving force behind the building of the Federation. He was the one who helped to write the Prime Directive. The decisions made by this man would be left as blueprints for future interstellar exploration. His name was never spoken without including the statement 'greatest explorer of the 22nd century'. She couldn't figure out why a person with two planets named after him was wasting his time with her.

"I suppose this has all been overwhelming for you." He said as the lift doors closed.

"Yes. I rather feel as though I were surrounded by ghosts, but I know that's not the case. Technology is different of course. My first thought was to get breakfast from a food replicator, not a chef. I have to say though, it definitely had a better flavor."

When the doors opened he led her onto the bridge. Her eyes were wide as she took in every detail before her. It was vastly different from the bridge her father commanded and yet its design and basic floor plan were not so very different. She was familiar with each and every station from her countless visits to the holodeck where she used this ship as a hands-on school room.

"You met Sub-Commander T'Pol in sickbay." Archer gestured to the attractive Vulcan woman.

"Yes, but I don't believe we were formally introduced."

"No we were not. I'm Danaë." Danaë was uncertain as to what to make of this Vulcan woman. She had met others of her species before and was familiar with their lack of emotions, but T'Pol seemed to have a skepticism about her that was more pronounced than Danaë was used to.

"Danaë . . ." T'Pol began, obviously looking for her last name.

"D'Arcy." At her answer Archer raised an eyebrow. This was not the name she had told him in sickbay. This set off a red flag and he began to wonder if she was not a Suliban in disguise. He would not say anything just yet, but he would question her on the discrepancy as soon as they were alone.

The introductions continued with Hoshi Sato the communications officer and Travis Mayweather the helmsmen. She had heard some of their names before, particularly Hoshi's. Her name was inextricably linked to early advances in communication technology. She did not have the same familiarity with Ensign Mayweather, but did not doubt his ability or courage. For United Earth this was only the beginning of deep space exploration and he was the man piloting the ship.

"I believe you already met Lieutenant Reed."

"Yes, we met yesterday." She said exchanging nods and a smiles with the lieutenant. The industrial style of the bridge as well as the rest of the ship brought to mind pictures she had seen of antique 20th and 21st century submarines and other naval vessels. There were no touch screens, but buttons, dials and switches. She leaned over Mayweather's shoulder at his controls. "Warp-4. You're in a hurry to get rid of me, but not too big of a hurry." She slyly looked over her shoulder at Captain Archer who politely smiled back. She looked up at the view screen at all the stars going by. Absently she took a couple of steps back and accidentally ran in to the captain's chair. "May I?" Danaë asked, gesturing to the chair. To her great pleasure he nodded his permission and she almost reverently sat down. Looking out over the bridge from that vantage point brought back so many memories of her childhood that she had to catch her breath a moment. Somewhere in her memory she could hear her own childish voice as she ran to her father in excitement.

"Pa-pa, Pa-pa I visited the  _NX-01_  today and sat in the captain's chair. Do you think Captain Kirk would be cross with me?" Her father quickly explained that Archer had been the Captain of the NX-01, not Kirk and that he doubted that Archer would have minded. Playing on the holodeck and exploring this ship had been some the greatest adventures of her childhood. She had pretended to do battle with the Klingon Empire, the Romulans, and had even conquered the Borg. She didn't dare speak of it to anyone though. At this point they were already uncertain what to believe when it came to her. Trying to explain future technology could only confuse things and she also feared altering the past.

"Back here is the situation room." Archer told her as he pointed to an area just behind the bridge. Danaë stood and joined him in front of one of the consoles. Her sharp eyes took in every detail.  _Everything is exactly as I remember it_ , she thought to herself. She must have pressed every button at least a hundred times and opened all sorts of files. She remembered bringing her father here once and he told her some of the stories he had heard about the  _NX-01_  and its crew. In particular he had told her how Archer, Tucker and T'Pol had gone to see the sacred Vulcan Sanctuary of P'Jem and encountered the Andorians for the first time.

From there Archer led her over to another door that led to an office. "This is my ready room." She looked about the office. It was so much smaller than her father's. She had only seen his a couple of times and then it was because of something she had done. Along the back wall she noticed four drawings. Each one was a ship that had carried the name Enterprise. She smiled to herself as she recalled being on the holodeck recreation and using a crayon to add all the additional vessels so it could be a complete set.

"So who are you really?" Captain Archer asked, as soon as the door was closed. She turned and looked at him a bit confused by the question.

"I told you."

"You told me your name was Danaë Picard. A few moments ago you introduced yourself as Danaë D'Arcy. I'm starting to wonder who exactly is on my ship." He set his jaw and it was clear he was in no mood for games. "If you are Suliban trying to infiltrate my ship . . ."

"My real is Danaë Picard. D'Arcy is actually my middle name. Do a DNA test on me to prove it. I don't mind. I changed it because I am quite familiar with procedure on a star ship. If you haven't already, then soon you will be filling out a full report on your encounter with the Suliban as well as the addition of a guest on board. I thought it would be best if I changed it."

"Do you really think that your name will make that much difference?" He asked.

"Yes, I do. My father will be born July 2305 and as soon as he is able he will start reading all he can about space exploration, the  _Phoenix_ , the  _NX-01_  and so on. He will study each of your missions and I want make sure that he doesn't find me. I don't want anyone to find me. If he realizes that the Danaë Picard rescued from the Suliban in 2152 is his own daughter, then it could affect the choices that he makes in raising me. Maybe he would make better ones, maybe worse, but the point is, the future would change.

"In my time there is a law that specifically prohibits any interference in the cultural evolution of any species including time travel. I know it hasn't been written yet in your time, but I have to govern my actions accordingly." What she said had great significance. It was a problem he found himself struggling with many times. As she continued to look around his ready room, Archer contemplated what she said. He still was not certain if she was from the future, but everything she had said since he first saw her made him believe she was.

"I will not disclose your real last name when I make my report, but if I find out that you are lying . . ."

"Then do what you must for the safety and security of your ship and crew." She said gratefully. The mood became lighter again as they left the ready room and headed back to the turbo lift.

Deck-B only had a few places of interest, but still she took great interest in the astronomical and cultural anthropology science labs. She was even able to add to their knowledge of Andorians by explaining that their antennae worked like the ears of a cat and indicated emotions not evident on their faces and could often times tell them if they were being lied to or if a situation was dangerous. She also explained that if they were cut off it would eventually grow back, but in the meantime their equilibrium was off. One the science officers was very intrigued by the information and wanted to know Danaë was able to learn this. The answer was simply that she observed one of her teachers at the academy that happened to be an Andorian. When he was angry she noticed that the antennae flared back and if someone brought up something he was curious about they came forward. She also noticed subtle movements from them when a cadet was lying or cheating. Though he said nothing, Archer was mentally taking notes for the next time he met with Shran.

Leaving the labs he took her past the computer core and then the deuterium tanks, but they were not much to see. He lead her on through the grey corridors and back to the lift. The next level was Deck-C and there was more there that might interest her.

"So where are you from on Earth?" Archer asked as the doors closed. He had noticed she had a bit of an accent reminiscent of Lt. Reed's.

"My Father's family is from La Barre France where they have been producing wine from the family vineyards for generations. My Mother was born at great-grandfather Pike's ranch in Mojave. I, myself, was born and raised in space, mostly on my father's star ship, also called the  _Enterprise_."

"Is your Father the Captain Riker you mentioned to Dr. Phlox?"

"Oh no, he and Counselor Troi have their own children to worry about. No, my Father's name is . . . was . . . will be Jean-Luc Picard."

"Is our ship anything like his?" Archer asked as the lift doors opened.

"Yes and no. They are similar in shape but your ship would fit neatly in the saucer section of the  _Enterprise-D_  with room to spare." She answered as he showed her the locker rooms then led her into the gymnasium. "Where your ship has a maximum crew capacity of I think 100 . . ."

"Actually about 130." He corrected

"The  _Enterprise-D_  held, I believe, over 1000." She explained as She looked over the equipment that was available. There were treadmills and exercise bikes, weights and even a gyroscope machine. He showed her where the sauna was located then led her back through the maze of corridors to the game room. A twinkle appeared in her eye as she saw the pool tables. Here was a game she loved to play, it was almost as much fun as black jack. Too bad counting cards was frowned upon. The tour continued through the physical and engineering science labs before heading back to the lift.

"I have a question for you." She said as they left the lab area

"What is that?" He asked.

"Do you really have a dog on board?"

"Porthos? You know about him?" to say that he was astonished was an understatement.

"Oh yes, everyone knows about Archer's precious beagles." She explained as they approached the lift. "They're something of an unofficial mascot at the academy. Always a beagle on campus and if I remember correctly always a decedent of your dog. Heaven help anyone who harms them. I remember hearing a story about a guy, I don't remember his name or rank. He was conducting an experiment with a transporter and he used one of those beagles as a test subject. They never found the poor dog and the guy wound up on some remote outpost somewhere for a while. Even cadets who can't resist a prank stay away from Archer's beagles."

Once more they boarded the lift, but rather than continuing the tour and going to D-deck and engineering the captain instead pressed the button for E-deck. When the doors opened again Danaë realized this was not the correct level. Questioning this deviation, Captain Archer assured her that they would get there and to just enjoy the detour. He led her to the captain's quarters where upon she looked up at him with a curious raised eyebrow.

"Are you sure it's appropriate for me to be going in there?" She quipped with a smile as she stepped inside.

"I think it will be fine." He answered. Entering the room her first impression was that it seemed terribly small compared the quarters she had grown up in. Her attention was suddenly caught as she felt something jump up against her leg. Instantly she looked and saw the gentle brown and white fuzzy face of Porthos.

"It's really him." She exclaimed as she got down on the floor and started petting him. She laughed as he licked her face.

"Didn't you have a pet growing up?" He asked.

"Oh no, unless you want to count the lion fish my father kept in a tank in his ready room." She laughed as she rubbed the dogs white belly. "One of the senior officers had a pet cat he called 'spot' and sometimes I could pet him, but an animal of my own, never. Does he fetch or play dead?"

"No, but he's a great listener and loves dinner time, especially cheese." He got down and started petting Porthos as well. The beagle happily wagged his tail enjoying all the attention.

"What is that quote? I think it's one of Emily Dickenson's 'Dogs are better than human beings because they know but do not tell." Danaë looked up at Captain Archer only to find him looking back at her. She wondered what he must think of her, this crazy woman who claims to be from the future. This person who appeared out of nowhere in the middle of space and on a Suliban ship. Suddenly another thought came to mind. "Tell me something, captain, how did you find me with the Suliban?"

"Chance, really. One of their cruisers seemed to appear out of nowhere, traveling alone which is rather unusual for them. We scanned it to see how many were on board and discovered human bio signs. Commander Tucker and Lt. Reed led a team to rescue you."

"Will you be able to send me back? To my own time I mean?" She looked at him with so much hope in her eyes that he didn't answer right away. "It's not that I don't like it here, I love it actually, but it is terribly important that get to my father, even if it's only for a moment."

"I don't have any way of sending you back. I wish I did." His words came out as an apology and she could tell that he was genuinely sorry.

"It's okay." She nodded. She was trying to appear like it didn't bother her, but obviously it did.

"Perhaps you would like to see the engine room." He said, quickly changing the subject."

"Yes, I would like that very much."

Taking her up to D-deck the mood became lighter as Captain Archer told her about their encounter with the Xyrillians. It seemed that they were in need of some help repairing their warp drive, so Archer sent Commander Tucker over to help. In the process it seemed that the chief engineer had gotten a little too friendly with one of their females and gotten himself pregnant. The image that Archer painted of Trip's emotional state and his overactive appetite had Danaë in tears from laughing.

They were still laughing as they entered main engineering, then Danaë's face completely changed. Her hazel eyes grew wide and her face took on the look of a child that had just entered the biggest and best toy store in the world. A thousand memories came back to her with each sound and smell. She couldn't begin to count how many hours she spent as a girl crawling all over this place teaching herself how it all worked.

"You look as though you've been here before." Captain Archer remarked.

"This was my playground." She answered softly. Eagerly she moved from one area to the next taking in everything that she saw. After a moment the captain brought Trip over and to meet Danaë. "You're Commander Charles Tucker III. I remember you so well." She said with excitement then realized the impossibility of that statement. "Uh . . . you were the one who rescued me from the Suliban ship. Thank you." She quickly recovered.

"No problem." He assured her. "Call me Trip"

"Do you think I could look around your engine?" She asked. Trip looked at the captain then back at her.

"Sure, just don't touch anything."

Captain Archer availed himself of the opportunity and began to tell Trip the things Danaë had said as well as the possibility that she could be from the future. While they talked, Danaë wandered around taking it all in. She couldn't help smiling as she thought of how many times she had taken things apart, rerouted, and reprogrammed everything. She had even blown up the place a few times. Walking along she noticed one of the crew members performing maintenance on a set of plasma injectors. She walked over and watched him in action. Her eyes carefully looked over the injector and everything that the crewmen was doing. She noticed him look at her a few times in annoyance, but dismissed it. As he started to put the injector back into place she quickly caught his arm.

"You're not going to put that back are you?"

"Yes." The crewmen answered, staring at her as though she were crazy. "This is a plasma injector and our ship has five of them. They introduce focused and compressed matter/anti-matter into transfer conduits . . ."

"I know how the Warp-5 engine works, but that injector has a hairline stress fracture. If you don't replace it, it will break with the first tremor."

"I think I know more about the care and maintenance of this engine and it parts than a civilian." The crewmen responded raising his voice. He had tried to keep it down but he was still loud enough to catch Commander Tucker's attention.

"Is there a problem Ensign Rivers?" Trip asked.

"No sir. Everything is taken care of." He answered, then glaring daggers at Danaë proceeded to try and put the plasma injector back in its place.

"Commander Tucker, Is it policy to continue using a plasma injector once it develops a fracture?" She asked, returning the dirty look.

"No." Always protective of his engines, Trip immediately went over to the pair to see what the issue was. Taking the injector from Ensign Rivers he began to look it over himself. Danaë quickly pointed out a small crack that was beginning to develop towards the nose.

"It's not a problem now, but if it gets jarred, even a little . . ." She explained.

"Yeah, things get serious real quick." He gave look at the Ensign. It was obvious that this would be discussed in private and at a later date. "Thank you, Miss . . ."

"D'Arcy, Danaë D'Arcy. Just call me Danaë."

Well, thank you again. Ensign take this," He ordered handing him the damaged injector. "And get a replacement." Trip went back to what he had been working on as Danaë walked back over to the captain.

"I really wasn't trying to get him in trouble."

"He'll be fine. You must have studied warp engines back in your own time." Archer remarked, rather impressed at her catching that crack.

"Not exactly. Had I stayed at the academy I would have. Despite my Father's hopes that I might follow in his footsteps, I really wanted to be a chief engineer on a star ship."

"Why did you leave the academy?" It seemed strange to him that someone who loved space travel and warp engines would just up and leave. Danaë's expression became clouded. This was not a subject she wanted to talk about or remember.

"Personal reasons." To her relief their conversation was interrupted by Hoshi calling for Captain Archer over the comm system.

Admiral Forrest was anxious to hear about the latest incident with the Suliban and in particular he wanted to know how and why they had kidnapped a human. Archer himself was not looking forward to this meeting. He had very few answers to give and those he had weren't entirely convincing. He apologized for leaving but assured her the Trip would be able to continue where he left off. Danaë was more than understanding. If there was anything she remembered about Starfleet captains it was that duty came before all else.

With Commander Tucker as her guide she would be able to remain in engineering as an observer and was thrilled at the prospect. Watching him leave she wondered what he would say if he knew that she had spent a sizeable amount of her childhood in the holodeck exploring, learning and sometimes wreaking havoc with his beloved ship. As badly as she wanted to go back to her own time, being here was in many ways a dream come true.

It was no dream for the Suliban however. The men Silik had sent through time to capture Danaë had returned to the Helix and informed him of their failure. They knew they would be tortured and punished by Silik, but the final price would be exacted by the mysterious Temporal Agent upon the Cabal leader himself. The men stood in a line before Silik, afraid to speak.

"How could you possibly have lost her!?" Silik growled. The men he had trusted to secure her said nothing only looked at the ground. "Answer me!" He grabbed one man slammed him against the wall in rage.

"We had difficulty controlling the emissions of chronometric particles so the temporal vortex would open. When we did make it through the  _Enterprise_  was already there."

"Your weapons should have been more than enough to destroy them" Silik hissed. His hand tightened around the subordinate's throat as he tried to explain.

"They fired on our weapons banks and disabled them before we could get a shot off."

"Then you should have killed the human female." Silik slammed the man against the wall once again in frustration.

"You told us that he wanted to see her and question her." The subordinate struggled to speak. Silik released him dropping him to the ground.

"Now because of your failure she is safe on board the  _Enterprise_  with Archer." Silik knew far too well the cost of failure. The rewards for success had granted him many genetic enhancements which he enjoyed with relish, but likewise each time he had failed some of those gifts had been taken from him. If he was lucky this would only cost him his compound retinas.

In truth he cared nothing for the timeline, Archer, or the creation of the Federation of planets, but he did covet those augmentations. The superiority he felt from each new ability was a greater high than any drug he could imagine and if destroying Archer was what it took to reach the pinnacle of genetic evolution, then so be it. The problem was that this human captain had proved himself quite resourceful and that, combined with a temporal agent helping him, had made it a difficult task indeed.

It was because of this that they had changed their strategy. Silik had not lied when he told Captain Archer that he knew everything about him. He had seen in the timeline that Archer would meet Danaë Picard. He knew how entwined their lives would become, first as friends and then as so much more. Her contributions to Starfleet and Federation would be substantial on their own, but more importantly she would become Jonathan Archers confidante and support when his burdens were too great as well as his lover. Also of great importance were their two sons. Both would follow in their parent's footsteps continuing the legacy and building on what Danaë and Jonathan had built. Silik's orders from the Temporal Agent he worked for had been clear. Capture Danaë Picard and bring her to him. Under no circumstances was she to meet Archer. The result would have been the destruction of Archer's foundation before it could it could be built.

Now she was there on the ship  _with_  Archer and Silik could only cringe at the thought of the punishment awaiting him for failure. If only there was a way to fix this, perhaps make Archer give her up. No, he would never do that. Perhaps if the  _Enterprise_  was at stake, but no, Archer would give himself up rather than risk the ship, lives of his crew or a guest in his care. Perhaps that was the answer. The human captain was a far better prize than Danaë Picard and if they brought him to the agent he might well be rewarded. Perhaps it was time to seek out the  _Enterprise_.

Captain Archer was keenly aware that the Suliban may yet return for their captive. He still wanted to know why they were so interested in her. At this point she seemed a rather odd choice. True, she was a very intelligent woman who seemed quite knowledgeable about Starfleet and this future Federation, but she was not a member nor connected to anyone he knew of that was, at least not in his century. One thing he had noticed during the ship tour was that she seemed quite familiar with everything. When he saw her again, he might need to ask about that.

Stepping into his own quarters Captain Archer suddenly found himself inside an office with a view of San Francisco. The desk was well ordered with everything in its place. A half drank cup of tea sat near a PADD, a hint of steam blew off of it proving that it had not gone cold and the occupant of the office would soon be returning. The screen in front of him read 'Starfleet Academy'. He couldn't imagine why or how he got here. As he walked about the room he turned and saw Agent Daniels watching him. Archer immediately set his jaw in indignation. He had long since grown tired of being dragged into Daniels Temporal Cold War and today was no different.

"Why have you brought me here? I'm supposed to be having a meeting with Admiral Forrest."

"I know and you will make it to that meeting, but first we need to talk." Daniels said, trying to reassure the captain.

"I don't suppose this has anything to do with Danaë Picard?"

"You were able to rescue her, but she is not safe yet." Daniel explained.

"Then she is from 2398?"

"Yes." He acknowledged.

"Then you can send her back to that time."

"It's more complicated than that." Daniel looked almost ashamed as he said this. "She belongs here, in this time. She is instrumental in transforming the academy of your time into the Starfleet Academy of the Federation. She will also be involved in developing the Warp-7 engine. This room you're standing in is her office. She was  _always_  supposed to come back to this time. The Suliban were informed that this would happen and whomever is helping them gave them the means to go through time and get her in an attempt to prevent it." He explained.

"Are you telling me that they are doing this because she helps build an engine or has influence over the academy?" This seemed rather superfluous to him. Trying to stop a future government had more sense than this.

"It is far more complex than that, but it is nothing that I can share. I wish I could explain more. You're simply going to have to trust me." Daniel said apologetically.

"She told us that the only reason they hadn't killed her was because someone was waiting to question her. She said there was someone they didn't want her to meet."

"Yes." Daniel nodded. "You are the one they were trying to keep her from."

"Me? Why stop her from meeting me? Am I the one who sets her on the path to building that engine?"

"Yes and no, it's more involved than that." At this answer Archer grumbled in aggravation. Daniel understood the captain's frustration, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn't tell the captain how this woman would affect his life or how he would give hers purpose. "The Suliban will come looking for her again and if they succeed she will die within minutes of being in their custody. They will not make the same mistake twice."

"How was she able to come into the past before?" Archer demanded. In truth Daniel was not supposed to tell Archer anything about the future, but he had found that there were times when he had to give at least tiny crumbs of information in order to secure any help from the captain. Even those 'crumbs' had to be carefully given so actions, relationships and history would remain as intact as possible.

"Originally she boarded the transport so she could see her father in La Barre France. The transport was hijacked by mercenaries in the employ of the Orion Syndicate. Everyone on board was taken to be sold into slavery. After a year of planning she managed to escape, with the help of two other slaves, and steal a vessel. They were pursued by their master and subsequently fell through a wormhole and into your century. The Suliban actually saved her a great deal of pain and torture by taking her when they did."

"If they only wanted to keep her from coming to this time, why didn't they just stop her from getting on the transport? She could have gone to her father and lived her life. Why attempt to kill her?" Archer demanded.

"Maybe that would have prevented it. Maybe she still would have come back into your time just in a different fashion. They weren't going to risk that chance. As I said, there is a reason she is here. Killing her is the only way to make 100% certain she is stopped."

"Why isn't she aware of this? She mentioned going to the academy, surely she would have seen her own name staring back at her either as a founder or at least when she studied the Warp-7 engine."

"No she wouldn't. Her academy career ended too abruptly to learn Warp-7 technology." Daniels explained. "She also knows well the generations of her own family, like her father and mother as well as herself, who will come and walk through these doors. Rather than risk any effect on their choices and place in the timeline, she changed her name and gave whatever honors she achieved to others. Her life and accomplishments will remain a sealed file to be opened only by those who have achieved proper clearance."

"I don't know how she is going to feel when I tell her all of this." Archer remarked, looking about the room again.

"You can't tell her." He continued. "If you tell her the things I've shown you it could very easily change the future."

"So I'm supposed to look her in the face and say 'Hey, we know you're from the future and why you were kidnapped, but it's classified and you're not allowed to know? Oh yeah by the way, you are never going back to your own time, no matter what." His voiced dripped with frustrated sarcasm.

"I understand your irritation at all of this . . ." Daniels began.

"No, no, my irritation has nothing to do with it. It's not  _my_  life that just got completed uprooted. I'm not the one whose family won't be able to find me or know what happened to me. I'm just the one that has to break it to her." Daniels looked regretfully at Archer, but his hands were tied. His orders were clear, protect the timeline.

"The family that she left behind may hurt, but what she will help build is their future. I think she will understand that."

"Maybe, but I can't tell her anything from here." He leveled a look at Temporal Agent that made it very clear this meeting was over. "Put me back on my ship." Agent Daniels pointed to the door leading out of the office. Captain Archer walked towards it as it opened automatically. Stepping over the threshold he found himself back in his own quarters. Everything was exactly as it should be. Porthos looked up from his dog bed and instantly began wagging his tail. Whatever doubts the captain might have had about Danaë coming from the future, they were gone now.

Glancing at the time he saw that he had returned at the exact moment that he had originally stepped through the door. It was as though he had never seen Agent Daniels. He still had a meeting with the admiral and he would have to disclose everything regarding Danaë Picard, though he would use her chosen surname of D'Arcy. When his meeting was over he would need to talk to her. He couldn't imagine being in her position; marooned not from a place, but a time. This woman from 200 years in the future recognized some of the people on board yet really didn't know anyone.  _What a lonely feeling_ , he thought to himself. He sighed and gave his pet a few gentle strokes on his head. Let's get this over with, he thought as he sat down at his computer and began his conference.

Danaë had enjoyed her day touring the ship especially that last several hours in the engine room. Now, blissfully unaware of the news Archer had for her, she was sleeping peacefully in her room. Her dreams had brought her to a hillside so lush and green with a perfect, cloudless blue sky above her. Looking out over the hills she could see the Picard vineyards and a wisp of smoke emanating from the chimney of the family estate. She was seated on a large docile white horse. Reaching out to stoke the horse's mane she saw her hands and was startled. They were the small elfish hands of a child. She looked at her clothes and realized she  _was_  a child again. Suddenly her father stepped up to the horse and told her to bend forward so he could check the chin strap of her helmet and make sure it was not too loose or too tight. Dutifully she leaned forward but she couldn't stop staring at him. He was dressed in a tan cap and riding clothes not his usual uniform.

"What is the matter with you, child? You stare at me as though you were looking at a ghost."

"I am." She whispered then quickly corrected herself. "I mean, it's just that it's been so long since I last saw you." She answered softly.

"Nonsense. You saw me this morning when we had breakfast with Dr. Crusher. I hope you are not still pouting over your missed birthday."

"I'm not pouting." She said quickly.

"Bok has been dealt with and Jason is back on Camor and you and I have a birthday to celebrate." He climbed up behind her and taking hold of the reins he gave the horse a gentle kick. As the horse moved forward Danaë suddenly remembered the event. He had missed her birthday because Bok had come back once more seeking revenge against Captain Picard. The Ferengi had even led her father to believe he had a son named Jason Vigo. In the end it had been only a ruse. Bok had hoped that by resequencing the young man's DNA he would convince Picard that Jason was his son and give himself up rather than allow the young man to be killed. It seemed that the Ferengi's obsession was turning into madness. In the end Bok had failed just as he had before.

Strange, the incident with Jason Vigo had happened months after her seventh birthday. Taking her to the holodeck and beginning her riding lessons had simply been a chance for them to spend time together. He had even chosen to teach her at the family home just as he had learned as a boy. Yes, the memory was becoming more vivid. He took her riding first, then when they returned to the stables, he began showing her how to hold the reins.

"Pa-pa, is this 'Vieil ami' the horse you learned on?" She asked, looking at the pretty white horse they were riding

"It is."

"Are we on Earth?" She continued.

"No child, this is the holodeck." He answered.

"Could we go faster, Pa-pa?" She said looking up at him hopeful. He smiled down at her then ordered her to hold on. The wind felt fantastic against her face. How could she have ever forgotten this? She had loved going horseback riding with her father. Eventually she would be able to ride a horse on her own and they would go along the fields racing each other. On her 10th birthday he added a beautiful chestnut colored horse for her to ride named 'Mon Coeur '. It was on this horse that she eventually beat him too.

As the memories came back to her she began to realize that what was happening now was not the way it had been. They had not left from the hill top but from the stables. That was where he checked her helmet. It was after they had shared a picnic lunch on the same hill where her father had watched the stars as a boy. He then took her riding over the hills and when they returned to the stables he began her actual lessons.

As they road along the horse suddenly hesitated before an old covered bridge that traversed a lively creek. She couldn't recall that horse ever faltering. Looking at the bridge and creek she realized she had never seen them before. She quickly asked her father what was wrong, but he didn't answer. Then from inside the covered bridge she saw a shadow coming towards them. For a moment she thought it was the Suliban, but instead Captain Archer appeared. From somewhere far distant she could hear a chiming sound.

"Pa-pa." She said holding tight to his arms. Rather than protecting her as he always had before, he let her go and got down off the horse.

"Danaë," Archer stretched out his hand to her. She climbed down from the horse and lifted up her hand to say something only realize that she was not a child anymore but a grown woman again. She turned back to find the horse gone and her father watching her from the end of the road. He looked tall and grand in his uniform again just as he always had, but his eyes were sad. She could hear loud banging noises from the direction of the bridge and she tried to shut it out.

"Pa-pa, we need to talk. There is so much I need to say to you. I was trying to come to you. I am so sorry I hurt you."

"Danaë you have to wake up now." Archer told her grabbing a hold of her and attempting to lead her to the covered bridge. She tried to wrench herself away but it seemed impossible.

"Please,  _please_  Pa-pa forgive me. I need you to forgive me."

" _It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves_." She heard him say.

Suddenly Danaë awoke, chills still running through her from her dream. Realizing the chimes and banging were coming from her door she quickly got up. Her eyes had not yet focused as she rushed to answer. Her foot barely crossed the threshold into the living area when she ran bodily into Captain Archer and fell unceremoniously to the floor. With many apologies he helped her back up and explained that he didn't make it a habit of barging in, but when there was no answer to the door chimes or his banging he had gotten worried that something had happened. She assured him she was fine and it had been nothing more than a rather deep sleep. She offered him a seat as she went into the bathroom to freshen up.

"It seems your story has been unexpectedly corroborated." He told her as she came back into the room.

"How . . .?" Everyone had been polite, especially the captain, but she still got the sense that people thought she was a bit, 'off'.

"I have an acquaintance, a Temporal Agent, Daniels is his name. It is because of him that I have been forced to believe in time travel. He has pulled me into the past and the future too many times for me to deny it."

"Then he can send me back." Relief swept across her and she looked as though she could almost dance at the prospect. I could go back and make amends, she thought. Nothing could have made her happier. Suddenly she realized that Captain Archer was not smiling. His normally light demeanor now seemed remorseful, his eyes apologetic.

"I don't doubt that he can send you back to your own time, Danaë, but he has no intentions of doing so."

"What . . . Why!?" She demanded, instantly incensed.

"Daniels doesn't give straight answers about anything and when he does give information it is usually far from a complete picture because it could conceivably contaminate the timeline. He has told me some of your role in our time, but it's nothing I can reveal."

"Well that's awfully convenient isn't it? Where is this 'Temporal Agent Daniels' and I'll talk to him." She countered.

"I can't just make him appear, you don't understand . . ." He started but she cut him off.

"No, you don't understand." The raw emotion from her dream was flooding through her making it difficult for her to stay calm. "My father is slowly dying from a degenerative disease involving the deterioration of the synaptic pathways. In all probability he will end up confused, wandering lost in his own mind just like my great-grand father did. I don't want him to go to his grave believing that I hate him, that his only child refused to see him when he needed her most. I  _have_  to go to La Barre to see him, to try to take care of him and hopefully make peace with him." Knowing this only made Archer feel worse. "I need to tell him that I'm sorry, that I deserved exactly what I got that day at the academy." Tears began to form in her eyes against her will. She didn't want him to see it, but he could all the same. "I have to tell him . . . I love him." She walked towards the bedroom stopping short of the door. "I've never once said I loved him." Archer wasn't sure she had meant for him to hear that last part, but he had and it left him at a loss for words. He didn't know anything about her or her father, what their relationship was like or what had torn them apart. Clearly she was hurting deeply over it. Danaë stood by the doorway to the bedroom with her back to him. She took in deep breaths willing herself not to cry.

"If it were up to me I would send you back, but Daniels assures me that you are vital to this time. The Suliban kidnapped you because another Agent, like Daniels, wants you dead." He explained as he walked over to her.

"Why do the Suliban care about Federation history, it hasn't even been created yet?"

"The Suliban themselves don't care, it's the Temporal Agent they're working for that does. I don't know who he is, but he is determined to change history. One of the Suliban, a man called Silik, acts as his right hand man. The agent rewards them by giving them heightened senses, shape shifting abilities, God know what other enhancements. You said yourself that most of the species died off due to genetic tampering."

"Why couldn't they have just left me there?" she protested, brushing away a stray tear. "That would have prevented everything."

"That's what I thought, but Daniels assures me that you would have come through time anyway."

"I would have come here anyway." She echoed sadly. For a moment she thought about that day and the joy of riding through the country with her father. " _No space of regret can make amends for one life's opportunity misused_." She whispered, recalling the ghost of Marley from  _A Christmas Carol_.

"If you want to talk, I'll listen." He offered, gently turning her to face him. "If you're not comfortable talking with me, I understand that Dr. Phlox knows a lot about complex family situations, I'm sure he would be willing to listen."

"I'm not sure that you would understand."

"I had arguments with my dad, all kids do." He responded.

"If only it was that simple." She leaned against the wall and looked at her feet for a moment before looking back up at Archer. I can't imagine you and your father arguing after all the things I read about him . . . and you. Henry Archer, was quite a pioneer. "She said. "I'm a big fan of his. I started reading about him when I was quite young. I wanted to know how his engines worked. For my sixth birthday, my Father gave me a doll and a fancy pair of hair barrettes then finally a model of the  _Enterprise-D_. Not something you would normally give a girl, but I enjoyed it. I tried tossing it in the air so it would fly only to have it crash on the floor. He explained to me (as best he could considering my age) why the ship was able to fly in space. I thought it was so amazing and I was hungry to learn more." She gave a half smile to herself. "Back then I loved spending time with my father and learning from him. My father was a very busy man, but he managed to find time for me. I won't say that he never forgot a birthday or special occasion, but he always made up for it. I not going to lie and tell you I was an easy child either, because I wasn't. Initially I was placed in the same school room as the other children, but it didn't last. I had a bad tendency to argue with the teacher if I thought she was wrong, manipulate the other students or do their work. I liked manipulating the teacher too. I was never very good at taking criticism, although I have gotten better at it over the years. After numerous meetings with my teacher it was determined that I was 'gifted' and that it would probably be best if I had a tutor working one-on-one with me. My education wasn't limited to the typical studies either. My father included other extracurricular activities like Latin, French, art and playing the piano."

"A piano on a star ship?" Archer asked, taken back by the notion.

"Sort of. My father had a relationship with a woman, Nella I think her name was. It was short lived, so much so that he never introduced us. She was the head of the Science Department. She carried a piano keyboard that rolled up. My father had it replicated and decided I should learn to play it. I hated that damn thing, but I did become pretty decent at it. Eventually he had me play for visiting dignitaries and diplomats. Back then, I couldn't understand why he put so much importance on fine arts and music. Later I found out that my grandparents had believed very strongly in the ancient traditions and taught them to my father and uncle. They didn't believe in using unnecessary technology and although my father obviously did not entirely agree with it, he did share an appreciation for it.

"In 2371 the ship was destroyed when a Veridian Star exploded. I survived by hiding in a corner near my father's bed where there weren't so many loose objects as potential projectiles. Most of the crew, including my father were reassigned to the Enterprise E. Unlike the previous ship this one was not designated for families, but he got special permission to have me on board with him. That made me the only child and rather spoiled by the crew. There were only a few places I was allowed to go for safety and security reasons unless accompanied by a senior officer . . . or when I could sneak around."

"Didn't you ever get caught?"

"Once in a while I would get caught . . . and reprimanded." She answered trying to suppress a sly smile. "When I was punished I used to suspect that he wasn't as disappointed in my behavior as he was in the fact that I got caught. I suppose he saw a little of himself in me during those times. I didn't notice it at the time because I was already starting to rebel against him. You see, my resentment towards my father began not long before the star exploded. My father received word that my Uncle Robert and cousin René had been killed. He was trying very hard not to let it affect him, but it did of course. The counselor could sense what he was going through and confronted him on it. I was supposed to be doing my school work, but I heard him confide in Counselor Troi his regrets that there would be no more Picards and how my cousin René was the child he never had. I was stunned and hurt at what he said. Was  _I_  not his child? He certainly made sure that Dr. Crusher tested my DNA before taking me into his custody. Damn it, I was a Picard and might have children of my own one day. Surely the family could continue through me."

"He probably didn't mean it the way it sounded." Captain Archer suggested.

"You're right and I should have asked him about it at the time, but I was a head-strong foolish kid and didn't. Now of course I understand that he was reeling over the loss and not thinking as clearly as he might otherwise have. René was the SON he never had and he assumed that one day I would probably marry and would no longer bear the name Picard. The carefully handed down traditions, and every link to his childhood home was gone because he could see a future for me that was somehow apart from all of that. Heaven only knows what he imagined I would succeed at." For a brief moment Captain Archer was tempted to relay to Danaë everything that Agent Daniels had told him, but stopped himself. He had given his word and could not break it. "I carried that resentment, but I didn't let it completely eat away at our relationship . . . until that woman came into our lives. When she appeared, the resentment was compounded."

"Woman?"

"You have to understand, captain, I was very young when I came to live with my father and in my mind the role of wife and mother was already taken by my  _own_  mother. I don't know why, I mean, they were never married. Perhaps too much childhood dreaming, I don't know. I never even saw them together, but I was damn well not going to share my father with some  _other_  woman, My father didn't know how I imagined our family, If he had, I'm sure he would have gently but firmly set me straight. I knew there had been women who caught his interest, but they were always fleeting and I never met them. Just after my eleventh birthday the  _Enterprise_ was sent to the planet of Ba'ku to try and capture one of its officers that had gone rogue. While they were investigating what happened, my father brought me down to the surface because he thought I might enjoy meeting the other children. I had a wonderful time, until I saw him walking with that woman. Her name was Anij and she was beautiful, smart and had his complete attention."

"You're not the first child to become resentful of their parent dating." Archer said, beginning to understand.

"No I'm not the first and I assumed she would fade as quickly as the others, but it didn't. While investigating what caused his officer to malfunction, my father discovered a massive deception being perpetrated on the Ba'ku and refused to play a part in it. Determined to help those people he walked away from his ship. He was joined by a handful of his senior officers who felt as he did. The way he explained it to me, he felt that his insubordination would likely cost him his career and as such we would need to leave the  _Enterprise_ behind. Being a kid I didn't really understand everything that was happening or the reasons why he was doing it. All I saw was him giving up everything to help  _her_. We were on the run, being attacked and eventually captured all for the sake of Anij. She was never anything but cordial to me and I was civil for father's sake. Yet when I looked at her all I could see was someone trying to take my mother's place and destroying everything my father had worked for. When it was over and we were once more allowed to return, with my father once more in command of the  _Enterprise_. I watched them together. I still remember the way he looked at her. I heard him tell her that he had something like 300 days of shore leave and that he planned to use them all with her. My antipathy towards him festered and grew after that.

"Our relationship was never the same again, not that he had changed toward me, but rather, I moved away from him. I became more rebellious and defiant in my attitudes and I didn't want to listen to him anymore. He knew something was wrong, and tried to get me to talk to him, or the counselor, but I refused. As far as I know he never saw Anij again and that should have been enough to heal our relationship, but it didn't. Even after seven years I was still full of resentment and I took it with me to the academy.

"Being away from home for the first time was great. I was not the athlete that my father was, but I was still quite good, placing third in the 40m-run on Danula II. In academics I excelled and even surpassed his achievements. It took him two tries to pass that entrance exam, but I got a perfect score the first time. I held the top ranking of my class which was certainly no small feat. I was told by advisors that I was to be groomed for command. At the conclusion of my freshman year my father made a point of coming to see me and I was elated. For once I had his full and undivided attention. The day he arrived began with so much promise. We had breakfast together and then he took me to a couple of his old haunts from his cadet days. On the way back to the dorms we ran into an acquaintance of his, Admiral Satie. I would never dare call them friends, theirs was a strained relationship at best, but they were civil to each other. He politely introduced me and she congratulated him on his engagement to Dr. Crusher. This was a complete surprised to me and he immediately apologized for not telling me sooner. It seemed he was planning to announce it over dinner later in the evening. In that instant I became that angry little girl again. I felt betrayed and believed that he had replaced me and my mother in favor of a new life. My anger came back hotter than ever and all I wanted to do was somehow hurt him. I began by making a few snide comments in front of the admiral and I could see the embarrassment and anger in his eyes, but he said nothing.

"When we had returned to my dorm he upbraided me on my conduct. He told me that he had noticed a change in my attitudes over the last few years but had hoped that my time in the academy would have changed it. He expressed his disappointment in me and then began to tell me what it means to be a Starfleet officer. It's no exaggeration to say that my ears felt as though they were bleeding. What he didn't know was that I had long ago learned about his assimilation into the Borg collective. I knew everything. They had stripped him of his identity and all that he was. They used him and had controlled his every action. I knew he still carried pieces of cybernetic technology inside his body, but I really had no concept of just how deep the emotional and mental scars went. All I cared about was avenging the wrongs that I believed he had done. I interrupted his lecture on scientific, historical and personal truths to know if it was also the first duty of a Starfleet officer to single-handedly destroy 39 federation ships and caused the death or assimilation of thousands." Gently she brushed her cheek, remembering the sting of her father's hand against it. "One thing Jean-Luc Picard is  ** _not_**  is a violent man. He would never hurt me, but even the best of men can be pushed too far.  ** _I_**  went too far." She remembered her surprise as his hand struck her across the cheek as well as the sudden look of shock and dismay on his own face. "In that instant I realized how wrong I was. He had every right to seek out a relationship with whomever he wished and I had absolutely no right to try and rob him of it. Not another word was spoken between us. I think he was disappointed with himself for his instant and unintended reaction and I was too ashamed of myself to face him. I left the academy that night. I thought it would be better if I just went my own way."

She waited, somehow expecting Archer to reprimand her for her behavior, but he didn't. It was hardly his place to do so and besides that, he could see that she had been punishing herself over the years. He gently pulled her to him and hugged her. If there was anything she needed it was to forgive herself. She had walked away from the academy and everything else in her life not out of anger, but out of embarrassment for what she had done. After several minutes she pulled away from Archer and walked to the couch, careful to keep her face turned away so he wouldn't see her wipe away any stray tears.

"I started traveling by foot from one end of the earth to the other. I worked odd jobs, but I always kept moving. Daily survival kept the pain away, but most importantly I wanted no one to find me. I just wanted to be forgotten. After a while I thought I was until out of the blue there was my Aunt Lotte with a message from my father asking me to come home. My father wanted me . . . ME!" She stood there for a moment then kicked the couch as hard as she could. "Damn Suliban."

"They're hardly worth breaking your foot over."

"It'll heal." She said as she sat down. She looked up at Archer's kind face and couldn't help wondering what he must think of her. "Are you always this generous with guests on your ship?" She asked as she sat down.

"We've tried to be, but so far nothing has been as I expected it."

"Things seldom are." She commented, glad to change the subject. "What have the problems been?"

"I've got the Vulcan Ambassador, Soval, looking for any excuse he can to shut us down. We've pissed off almost every species we've come in contact with, particularly the Kreetassans and the Klingons. I'm not sure which one is easier to offend." He explained. "The Andorians on one hand, seem trustworthy, but I can't shake the feeling that I need to keep one eye on them at all times. I had to order the installation of phase cannons because of how bad things were getting. Every time I think I heard the last of the Suliban or Agent Daniels, we're dragged back into the middle of it again." He sat down next to her, his frustration obvious on his face.

"You sound like you could use a shore leave." She suggested.

"We had one. My helmsmen, Mayweather, got injured rock climbing, my Chief Engineer and Security Chief got tied up and robbed. I managed to meet an attractive woman, only to find out she was only interested in my knowledge of the Suliban. Hoshi seems to be the only one who had a good time."

"Where on earth did you go for this rest?" After his description she was imagining a place like the Klingon home world Qo'noS.

"Risa. The sub-commander said it was a pleasure planet that would meet all of our requirements."

"It usually does. Everything about the planet is designed for the pleasure of its guests. For those who seek adventure there are caves, diving and rock climbing. For those seeking beauty and quiet solitude there are views, tropical beaches, peaceful mountains. Of course, for visitors seeking . . . other pleasures, well, that is Risa's absolute specialty. I would recommend you stay away from the night clubs and tourist traps. Those tend to be a favorite hiding place for the criminal element. Sounds like at least two of your crewmen found that out." She smirked trying to picture Trip and Malcom being tied up and stripped of anything of value.

"I take it you've been there."

"No, but my father has been there, for relaxation, reading and archeology only, at least that's what I tell myself. I know a lot of his crewmen have been there to take in the . . . um . . . culture." She explained, blushing slightly. "One can overhear a lot of stories when you're helping in the ships lounge. Honestly though, if your crewmen were seeking companionship they would have been better off displaying a horga'hn statue rather than hanging around the night clubs."

"Horga'hn statue?"

"You were on Risa and don't know what a horga'hn statue is? I knew what one was by the time I was nine. Wow, this really is the beginning of exploration." She said with a laugh. "It's a statue about so high," she held up her hands to show the size. "It has a big head and is reminiscent of ancient African or Polynesian carvings on earth. On Risa it symbolizes fertility. If you get one and display it publicly then you are signaling your desire for jamaharon, a . . . um . . . a sexual rite." Again she blushed.

"I thought you had never been there." He asked surprised at her embarrassment.

"I haven't, I learned about the Horga'hn statue the same way I learned about Risa, in the lounge. I remember Commander Riker telling someone about it. Apparently jamaharon is an incredible sexual experience at least that's how he and others have described it." The pink in her cheeks still showed as she brushed some curls from in front of her face. "Anyway, I wouldn't be too worried. You can't expect to discover the entire universe in one year."

"True, but I had hoped to discover a few things, maybe make a few alliances."

"Those will come. You may have to continue to fight the Vulcans to prove your readiness, but it will happen. Apparently I'll be here to see it." She sighed and accidently bumped the side table knocking her PADD on to the floor. The jar caused it to turn on and a picture appeared of a bird with brilliant blue and green plumage and two tails. It looked like a delicate creature and reminded Captain Archer of earth's hummingbird.

"What is that?" He asked as she picked it up.

"Kolibri, it's a bird native to the planet Ba'ku. The closest thing to it on earth would be a humming bird but this species has two tails. I saw one and took the picture. Pretty as this bird may be, it is not the most interesting creature I've ever seen. The most remarkable species I can recall seeing was called the Corvan Gilvo. It's a creature that looks like a stick or tree branch. They make their homes in the trees of the Corvan II rainforests. At the time that I saw one there were only about 14 specimens remaining. Industrial pollutants destroyed their habitat. From what I know they are generally docile creatures."

"That is the kind of exploration that I had envisioned when we came out here." Some of the old excitement and optimism he had possessed when they first began came back into his face as she spoke.

"The first thing I ever remember seeing that set my imagination on fire happened a few days after joining my father. The ship was being shook all around and I looked out the windows in our quarters and saw a 'white hole'." Her face and gestures became quite animated as she described the phenomenon. "There is nothing to compare with seeing one. A brilliant white light in the midst of all the darkness and surrounding that light is a myriad of colors creating a strange and wonderful rainbow. From the nothing in the center of the light comes matter of all shapes and sizes being hurled into space at incredible speed. It's amazing how something so terrifyingly dangerous can be so incredibly beautiful." Her hair had fallen into her eyes again as she spoke. Captain Archer marveled at her description of a "white hole". This was the sort of thing he had hoped to witness himself. "Our shields held and we managed to get safely away. I was so terrified when the ship was being hit by the matter, I think I cowered under my father's desk, but during those first few moments I was in awe."

Without thinking she took his hand and led him to the window and pointed to the stars as they went by. How amazing it all looked and her hazel eyes were wide and alight with wonder. To these two the universe held unlimited possibilities. All one had to do was be willing to take a chance.

"Captain, my father once told me that I had his vision . . . that I looked up at the stars and dreamed of what might be. Just look out there. Each star holds a million promises. There are untold star systems waiting out there, new species to meet, nebulas, black holes . . . white holes." He listened to her talk, glad to find someone who shared his vision and desire to explore. "All the fighting that you've had to endure to stay out here will be worth it in the end. They're just storms you must sail your ship through to get there."

"My father told me never to be afraid of the wind." He returned. "I suppose that includes gales too."

"Wise man." She laughed as Archer swept the curls from in front of her eyes, his fingertips lightly brushed her cheek. The air between them became heated and they were both quite aware of how close they were to each other. Danaë suddenly realized she was still holding his hand in hers. The two stood there in this charged silence for several minutes as they realized the feeling of friendship between them was becoming something much more palpable.

"I should probably let you get back to sleep." The captain said, breaking the tension between them.

"Yes." She agreed. "You probably need your sleep too." She added as she walked him to the door. "By the way, thank you."

"For?"

"Listening." She told him.

"It's okay." He replied then swiftly went through the door.

As the lift door closed Archer reminded himself that in a matter of days she would no longer be on the ship. There was little point in allowing anything more than a professional friendship to be between them. Starfleet regulations were very clear on the conduct of a captain, particularly the rules regarding relationships. It would be highly inappropriate for him to have a liaison with anyone subordinate to him. There were no such limitations with civilians, but somehow even a flirtation on his part with a guest on board his ship could prove problematic and create a possible distraction. For her part, Danaë would tell herself that she was being a fool and probably just star struck or simply lonely. She reminded herself that he was President Archer and there was no way that a man like him would consider a Starfleet drop out.


	4. Memories of an Enterprise Childhood

Danaë had had decided long ago that there was no room in her life for a relationship or even a fling. There always seemed to be far more important things that she needed to pursue. Right now she wanted to learn all about the Suliban. Surely they had a weakness that could be exploited, all species did. She didn't doubt that the  _Enterprise_  carried records of every encounter and documented all information regarding these creatures, the question was how to access it.

Although there was a computer in her quarters, it gave access to a very limited amount of information when it came to the  _Enterprise_ and its databases. To Danaë this was hardly an issue. Among the items she carried in her backpack was a tricorder that she stolen from engineering as a child on her father's ship. These pieces of technology were used in so many different facets of ship operations that modification was quite simple. They were used in sensor scanning, data analysis and recording data with slight variations on the look and features depending on the department the tricorder was used for. She had studied its programing and detailed schematics of its interworking before altering its programing into a device that would give her full access to the ships computer banks.

Sitting at the computer in her quarters now there was only one thing that could make it difficult to break in to the  _NX-01_ 's computer and that was age. The technology was 250 years older than what her tricorder was designed to hack. Still, she was optimistic. Looking over the computer she found a place where she could plug in her tricorder. After a few minutes the screen changed giving her complete access to everything on the ship.

"I've still got it." She smiled.

Her screen seemed to come alive with a myriad of information. Now the work could begin. She narrowed down her search by telling the system to only bring up files with the term 'Suliban'. From the Vulcan databanks she found that the species had once lived on a planet in sector 3641 before it became uninhabitable. They adapted and followed one of two paths. Some became nomads moving from one place to another while others settled and assimilated into other planets and cultures. It seemed they were considered to be primitive and not a threat by Vulcan standards. Reading this, Danaë thought about what Archer had told her about how they received enhancements for working on behalf of a Temporal Agent. These enhancements were hardly primitive. It seemed that they had been given compound retinas, the ability to cling to walls and ceilings, extreme flexibility, increased numbers of bronchial lobes with modified alveoli clusters, the list was incredible. She studied until she could no longer keep her eyes open then laid down on the couch from a quick nap.

After sleeping for only four hours she quickly showered and changed before going to the mess hall and getting plenty of food to snack on from time to time while she studied the files. It might have seemed to some as a fixation, but to her it kept her focus on the problem until she solved it. She had done this at the academy as well as with pet projects during her childhood. Her hope was that before she left the  _Enterpri_ se she would be able to give Archer something he could use against them. She continued her research by opening the files regarding what was known about their weapons and more importantly their vessels. It seems they possessed six known types. There was the cruiser, which according to the reports was the ship they had held her on, salvage ships, shuttles, cell ships, long cell ships and the Helix. What intrigued Danaë was these last three. According to the records these vessels could join and share their power, sensors and weapon systems.

She read the accounts regarding each of their encounters with the Suliban beginning with the very first mission. The reports spoke of Klaang, a Klingon that had crashed on earth trying to escape from the species. The  _Enterprise_  and her crew managed to return him to Qo'noS but not without encountering and battling the Suliban. It was also this incident that a 'temporal cold war' was first mentioned. She learned about Agent Daniels and his 'death' at the hands of the Silik. It seemed that despite his demise he had a penchant for returning. Among the records was also notations regarding upgrades to various systems in order to combat the threat as well as new state of the art equipment that was added to penetrate their cloaking devices. She opened the files Commander Tucker had made when he was studying the cell ship Captain Archer had used to escape the Helix during the last major encounter with the Suliban. She was even more delighted to learn that the cell ship was still sitting in one of the cargo holds. She definitely wanted to take a look at that.

She sat back in her chair and stretched. After two days of staring at all the information gleaned on the Suliban technology and every miniscule detail of their various ships, Danaë thought her brain was fried. It had not been a waste of her time though. She suspected she had found a weakness in their ships, but she wanted a bit more time to analyze it before presenting it to the captain. Her eyes were getting tired from staring at the computer screen. She needed a break and a cup of tea. She could not recall ever drinking tea before she came to live with her father. The first time she had ever tasted Earl Grey tea she had not liked it, but somehow over time it had grown on her. Now, it was more nostalgic than anything else.

The mess hall was empty as she went in. Glancing at her watch she realized for the first time just how late it was. She forgot all about the tea as her attention was caught by the stars. She walked over to the window and watched the beautiful streaks of light flying by the window. A thousand memories went through her head.

"You were born on Earth, weren't you Pa-pa?" She could hear herself asking as a child.

"Yes, child." She could so easily recall the sound of her father's deep voice.

"Can you see Earth from here?" Danaë had asked him. She remembered him coming up behind her and pointing out at the stars.

"We are too many lights years away for you to see Earth, but I believe it is off in this direction. Follow that course and eventually you'll find it." For a moment she could almost feel his hand on her shoulder just like that day.

"Has it all been explored?" She asked.

"We've barely begun. The universe is a vast place without end. If you lived a thousand lifetimes, you still couldn't discover it all,"

In that moment, he had set ablaze her desire to explore. After the academy she decided to explore every place on earth she could think of, from monuments to natural wonders. She climbed Mount Everest and deep sea dived. She swam through dangerous ship wrecks, climbed frozen waterfalls and braved the 227 degree temperatures of the Naica Mexico's Crystal Cave of Giants. Traversing the earth she had tried very hard to not think about the past, but there were times, at night when she lay in her sleeping bag looking up at the stars, that she felt home sick for the  _Enterprise_.

Captain Archer stepped into the mess hall and was surprised to find someone in there at this hour. The way Danaë stared out the window, it was obvious she was lost in thought. Perhaps she was thinking of her own time and of the ship she grew up on.

"If you're having trouble sleeping, Dr. Phlox can probably give you something." He asked, breaking the silence in the room. Danaë jumped at the sound of his voice.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you come in."

"Quite a view isn't it?" He nodded towards the windows then graciously offered her a piece of pie.

"Compared to the views from the larger windows on the  _Enterprise-D_  and  _E_ , yours are not so grand." She smiled wryly as she took the plate from him. "Actually I came up here for a cup of tea and I guess I just got hypnotized by the stars."

"I'm sure in 200 years a lot of improvements will be made, including the windows." Archer sat down at one of the tables. "Being born and raised on a star ship you've visited places we've never even begun to imagine."

"Actually, I wasn't born on a star ship, rather, I was born on  _Regula-16_ , a Federation scientific research laboratory." She told the captain as she sat down. "It was in orbit above the planet Ayaka. The Federation wanted to build an outpost and the lab was performing surveys, studying the geology and mapping the topography, among other things. My mother held degrees in Geotechnical engineering including, engineering physics, photonics, nanotechnology, metallurgical and Geomatics. She was one of the lead engineers on the project. I have vague memories of her working with soil samples and reading charts. She worked alongside quite a few scientists and engineers engaged in everything from genetics and biochemistry to metallurgy and new ways to create infrastructure." Danaë took a bite of her pie then gave a polite thank you as she was handed a glass of a rose colored wine. "I have very little memory of her. She died when I was four years old. Everything I know about her, I was told by my Aunt Lotte."

"I'm sorry. I knew you were raised by your father, but I didn't realize . . . how did she die?"

"I don't know exactly. I remember my mother was overdue coming back to our quarters one day and Orla, an El-Aurian woman who was a close friend and worked with my mother, suddenly came and told me that I would be staying with her for a few days. I remember a lot of whispering in my presence. I was not allowed out of Orla's quarters for any reason and that everyone I came in contact with seemed to be under close scrutiny. I couldn't even eat or drink anything until it had been scanned. I got excited one day, because I heard a woman's voice and thought Ma-ma had come to get me. It turned out to be Dr. Crusher. She came to examine me and check my DNA so my parentage could be verified. After that I met Counselor Troi who finally broke the news to me. I didn't really understand right away. Not until I laid eyes on my father. I understood then that she wasn't coming back. I asked my father what happened to my mother, but he would never discuss the matter and he forbade my Aunt Lotte to speak of it, so the mystery remains."

"That must have been hard at such a young age."

Sipping the wine, she thought back to those days and the death of her mother. Without her father telling her she had always suspected what had happened. She remembered well a geneticist named Brand Emilek. He had a number of altercations with Solenne that always ended in arguments and threats. She could still recall his amber eyes with flecks of black that sparkled with hate and the way he always called her 'that Picard bastard'. She remembered hearing among the whispered conversations that he was missing and the words chemeloid, shape-shifter and that she needed protecting. She pushed the memory away and seeking something far more pleasant she reached into the pocket of her cargo pants and took out her PADD. Holding it where he could see, she turned it on and the image of a woman appeared. She had the same blond hair as Danaë and a definite resemblance as well, but her eyes were different. The woman in the picture had eyes that were blue, like a robin's egg. Danaë's were hazel/green and shaped rather differently. "This was my mother, Commander Solenne Bennett." Danaë beamed proudly as she showed him the image.

"She was beautiful." Archer commented.

"Thank you. I remember seeing pictures of your mother and I thought the same thing." At her reply Archer looked up rather surprised. "Biographies of Henry Archer didn't just include schematics of his Warp-5 engine. There was always a picture of him with Sally." Swiping the screen a new picture appeared. It was now the face of an older man with features that conveyed intelligence, sparse hair and the same intense eyes that Danaë had. "This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Star Ship  _Enterprise-E_. First he commanded the  _Enterprise-D_  until its destruction due to the collapse of a Veridian star. His first command was the  _USS Stargazer_  then he was assigned to another ship for about 8 or 9 years. For the life of me I can't remember the name of it, I'm not sure if he ever told me. It was on that ship that he met my mother, one of his senior officers. I don't know how long their relationship was exactly but I do know that it ended shortly before  _Enterprise-D_  left for its first mission to  _Farpoint Space Station_. I was never told why they parted ways, but my aunt did say that a week before the ship left she made a point of contacting him. She said that it was an attempt on my mother's part to tell him that she was pregnant, but when they saw each other it opened old wounds and she never got a chance. Ma-ma told me very little about him except his name and that he was a captain. He never spoke of her at all. I tried several times, but he always refused. The only reason I was able to learn as much as I did was because of Aunt Lotte as well as a close friend of his by the name of Guinan. She was a kind of surrogate mother to me. She explained that he had loved my mother very much and that her leaving him as she had wounded him deeply." She finished off the last bite of cherry pie and set the fork on the plate. "The first time I laid eyes on him I was completely terrified."

"He probably was too." He mused as he refilled her glass. "You must have had fun growing up on a star ship. How many kids have the chance to meet all the different cultures that you did?"

"I met a lot of different species, but only because they were crew members. I was not included in ship matters and it was not until I was teenager that I was allowed to attend ship social functions such as concerts and such. Father was not comfortable around children. The younger they were the more uncomfortable he got I think. There was also an enormous gap in our ages. He was about 60 when we met. As captain he was often busy with ship affairs leaving me quite often alone and with a lot of free time on my hands. I found all sorts of ways to amuse myself."

Captain Archer continued to refill her glass as she told him different stories about her father the great captain of the  _Enterprise_. She spoke in great detail about his various missions including how he once commanded the entire fleet as it created a blockade at the Klingon-Romulan border. Danaë told him about Q, an omnipotent entity, who took great pleasure testing Captain Picard. It was difficult to say if he was good or bad, he was definitely frustrating. To Jean-Luc Picard he was an enormous thorn in his side that was impossible to remove. To Danaë he was a friend and at least once he had been her guardian. The first time she met him face to face he proclaimed himself to be her god-father. Each visit was short and she never breathed a word about it to her father. Whenever he left he gave her either a flower or a box of sweets. Though she never understood his fascination with her, she had enjoyed the attention.

She spoke of one mission where she had something of a front row seat. She remembered watching from the window of her quarters as the  _Enterprise_  followed a Borg sphere through a temporal vortex. It wasn't until later that she found out that they had traveled through time or the significance of the year they had gone to. The Borg wanted to prevent Zefram Cochran from making his historic flight so they could take over earth and assimilate it. They destroyed the sphere, but the Borg managed to infiltrate the ship. It didn't take long to hear about what was happening on board. She managed to crawl into a narrow ventilation shaft just off the quarters. She climbed as far as she could until she felt she was in a safe area then left only long enough to find another shaft and get higher in the ship. Eventually she found her way to the Bridge. She recalled the look of relief on her father's face when he saw that she was safe. Unfortunately there was no time to enjoy the reunion. The Borg was quickly taking over the ship and options were needed to figure out how to eliminate the threat. The most decisive suggestion made was to blow up the ship, but this was something her father refused to do. She remembered vividly the sight of Worf and Dr. Crusher vehemently arguing for the ships destruction so the Borg would be stopped. She had never seen her father like that and it made her even more scared then she had been. Though she never knew what made him change his mind, he did initiate the self-destruct sequence.

As the remaining crew climbed into escape pods she had assumed he would go with her, but instead he insisted she go with Dr. Crusher. Danaë was no fool, even as a child and knew instinctively that his staying on board meant that he would not survive. Scared of the prospect, she refused to leave him. He gently told her how important it was that she be brave and promised her that he would join her on earth when it was over. Though she suspected he was lying, she dutifully went. Thanks to Lieutenant Commander Data, he did keep his promise.

Captain Archer had never heard of the Borg of course, but he did recall a speech given by Zefram Cochran where he mentioned cybernetic creatures matching their description. During the progression of the story Archer had begun to notice that Danaë's speech was ever so slightly slurred. Her eyes were a bit glassy and she seemed to laugh almost too easily. She looked over at her companion and realized she had been doing all the talking for the last hour or so.

"You must get awfully bored listening to me tell stories about people that haven't even been born yet." She said pouring herself more of the wine. "There was a time when it used to bore me to hear about the pioneering days of interstellar space exploration. Now I'm actually here and it's all so . . . incredible."

"It would be like me suddenly meeting the Wright Brothers or Wernher Von Braun I suppose. I rather enjoy your stories. It makes me think that we're accomplishing something after-all. We must be, if it's all still around after 200 years. There is one thing I would like to know though. Except for that last story, you said you were never allowed to go with your father on missions so how do you know so many of the details?" He asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Oh, that's easy. I broke into his files." She giggled as she raised the glass to her lips. Captain Archer was both stunned and a little impressed by this. He knew how difficult it was to bypass security in the 22nd century and couldn't imagine that it would be any easier in the 24th.

"Surely it's not that easy to break into."

"Oh they're not. All that alone time I spoke of gave me plenty of time to modify a tricorder for the sole function of looking up and storing user clearance codes. I then used those codes to access my father's computer and read his files, personal logs . . . whatever interested me. I actually did it in hopes of being able to access my mother's files, but I never found them. They were either erased or somehow reclassified where I wouldn't discover them. In the process I probably discovered more about the other crew members than Counselor Troi." She reached for the wine bottle only to see that it was empty. "I broke into her files too." She giggled again. "I did manage to use the device to play subtle practical jokes though. For instance I would break into the system that controlled the food replicator and reprogram a single item. I knew that someone, sometime would ask for something like chicken soup, for example, and instead they would get rokeg blood pie." She laughed again at the thought. "I was careful never to access ship systems beyond those. I was very conscious of the prospect of doing any real damage."

"Didn't you get caught?" Archer asked, rather amused at the prank.

"The ones who get caught are the ones who want credit for the deed. I needed no credit and I spaced it out far enough and randomly enough it was never noticed. Believe me, if I had been caught . . ." she stopped for a moment and imagined her father's reaction. "Well, Dante never saw the levels of hell that I would have gone through. You know, with minimal modification I could do all sorts of things to your ship, captain."

"I would rather you didn't." He said, the humor suddenly gone.

"You have my word. I will not hurt anything on your ship. I've already done everything to it that I could think of anyway. I probably blew it up at least a dozen different ways."

"If this ship is in a museum, how is that possible?" He asked, rather puzzled.

"My Father's ship had a place they called the holodeck. It's a virtual reality facility mostly used for recreational purposes. It uses a combination of transported matter, replicated matter, tractor beams and shaped force fields to create holographic worlds. You can visit places depicted in novels or recreations of real life places. Crew members could visit and go on adventures, relax . . . do anything they wanted. You could tell the computer you wanted someplace like Pensacola beach, for example, and then when you go inside it's exactly as though you're there. You can walk up and down it, feel the sand and taste the water."

"The Xyrillians we met had a technology like that on their ship. They shared the information with us, but at this point we haven't been able to develop it."

"When I was about eight or nine I was caught trying to sneak into the engine room because I wanted to see how it worked. I had just finished reading about your father's engines and was dying to apply the knowledge. My father took me to the holodeck and brought up your  _Enterprise_  and showed me around. He set it so there would be no people on board just me and made sure it stayed in safety mode so I couldn't get hurt. Some of my happiest childhood memories were spent wandering around the  _NX-01_ , tearing it apart, putting it back together, flying it, stealing its shuttle pods, firing its phase cannons. It's possible I know it better than you." She giggled again.

"That's why you were familiar the plasma injectors."

"I may have cracked a few on the holodeck. It simply made me better at spotting the fractures. Much of the engine I taught myself but there were a few times I was completely lost so I had the computer bring up Commander Tucker and he taught me a few tricks of the trade. After a while I got where I didn't need him anymore. Is it getting a little warm in here?" She asked fanning herself. She looked at the image of her father, her face becoming serious. For a moment she could almost hear him explaining warp propulsion in as simple of terms as possible while holding her model of  _Enterprise-D_. She quickly shook the memory away then turned off the PADD and put it back into her pocket. Leaning back in her chair, her eyelids started to get heavy.

"Perhaps I should help you get back to the guest quarters." Archer helped her up and walked her down the corridor.

"I've never had synthehol make me feel this way."

"That wasn't synthehol. That was genuine alcohol. There's a reason I didn't drink very much."

"Oops" She giggled as they got into the lift. "I've never had real alcohol. I suppose this means I'm a little drunk."

"You're definitely a couple chapters into the novel." He answered, bemused at her behavior.

"You know, I had a roommate, Marnie, she was a Risian who was a year older than me. She kept a picture of you and I think she used to kiss it goodnight." She giggled again as they left the lift and walked down G-deck corridor.

"Really."

"Oh yes. God knows what else she used to do with it" Danaë kept giggling at the thought. "You were older, of course. Your hair was solid gray and there were far more lines in your handsome face. I think it was from when you were an ambassador or president maybe . . . retired . . . I don't remember. She used to say she was going to find a way to go back in time and marry you. The two of you would raise lots of babies and beagles. I thought she was a ninny." Reaching the guest quarters Danaë fell with her back against the door and looked at Captain Archer. "I used to see that picture and hear my father telling me what a great man you were and how you paved the way for us all. God, I hated you." At her words Archer was taken back and almost offended. "Oh, don't look like that. I didn't really hate you. I didn't know you, but I am quite grateful to know you now."

Still leaning against the door Danaë's demeanor became more sober. Her sharp eyes studied his face taking in his every look and facet. She must have been shown his image a million times growing up, but never had she really seen him. In her short acquaintance she found she enjoyed the sound of his laughter. He had the warmest smile and in particular she liked the way slight crow's feet appeared at the corner of his eyes. He never smiled in any of his official photographs and somehow she had always assumed he was stern, stuffy and had no sense of humor. Like all historical figures, he had become larger than life, the real person becoming lost in the myth. Now he was standing before her as nothing more than a man, warm, caring, witty and certainly flawed. Jonathan Archer the man was far more attractive than the president or Ambassador she knew he would be in the future.

"Before I go to bed there is one thing I would really like." She said.

"What is that?" At these words Danaë pulled him down by his uniform and locked his lips to hers. At first he was surprised and even told himself to push her away, but he couldn't. The feel of her lips was warm and sweet. She let go of his uniform and enveloped him in her arms, holding him close to her. His hands gently held her head, each soft gold curl spilling through his fingers. As their kiss grew deeper, the natural temptation between a man and woman so attracted to each other whispered softly in their ears and through their bodies, only to be drowned out by the loud memory of Starfleet regulations. After a moment Danaë pulled back, smiling.

"That would have killed Marnie." She pressed the button opening the door then quickly went in as it closed behind her.


	5. The Picard Inheritance

When she awoke the next day Danaë's head was pounding so hard that she was certain someone must have split her skull wide open. Thinking back over the previous night she decided it would be best if in the future she stuck to the earl grey tea she was raised on. She sat up in bed and instantly the room seemed to spin around her and her body felt as though she was in a shell about three feet thick. Her first inclination was to lay back down and keep sleeping, but she remembered her research on the Suliban. For the most part it was complete, but it needed to be tested, until then it was only a theory. She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror and another memory from the night before came back to her, but not entirely with regret. If and when she saw Captain Archer she would definitely need to apologize and somehow explain her forward behavior. She did have to admit, to herself at least, he was a fine kisser.

Having never experienced a hangover before, Danaë was amazed how loud a toothbrush could be, or blindingly bright a lamp was. Somehow she managed to get dressed, careful to put her modified tricorder in one of the pockets of her cargo pants. Hopefully she could silence the headache long enough to tell Archer her findings on Suliban technology. Normally she would have headed for the mess hall, but there's nothing more unappealing than breakfast when you're experiencing a hangover. Strong black coffee sounded good though. After dressing she rode the lift to E-deck. If the coffee didn't work than perhaps she would just pay a visit to Dr. Phlox, surely he had something to fix it. She was just in sight of the mess hall when movement caught her eye. For a moment she thought she was seeing things, then she noticed that the ceiling above her seemed to morph into a face. She recognized it as Suliban and immediately ran for the nearest ships comm so she could call security.

"Security to E-Deck. The Suliban . . ." she managed to say before he grabbed her. She was not going to go quietly though. She pushed her captor against the wall as hard as she could then grabbed his weapon and shot him. Suddenly the ship was rocked by a violent blast that sent her to the floor knocking the particle gun from her hand. " _Merde_." She gasped. She slowly stood as she tried to catch her breath. Another Suliban appeared out of nowhere, grabbed her and slammed her against the wall. He was joined by another who placed their particle weapon to her temple just as security arrived.

"Stand down or she dies." They ordered. More Suliban began to appear from their hiding places along the passages and surrounded the security detail.

On the Bridge they had been made aware of the Suliban presence. Reports on damage and injuries were coming in. The ship was completely surrounded by an intricate network of cell ships all with their weapons aimed on the  _Enterprise_. As expected, Hoshi announced that they were being hailed. Archer ordered it on the screen and was not at all surprised to see the glowering face of Silik.

"You stole something from us and now we're taking it back." Silik growled.

"You don't own her, you kidnapped her. You want to change the timeline and stop her from doing whatever it is you think she will do, then send her back to her own time. Let her get to her father." Archer suggested.

"Impossible."

"Why, because killing her is the only way?"

"On the contrary," Said Silik. "It's impossible because when you fired on that cruiser you destroyed our ability to open a temporal vortex. Your orders sealed her fate. Now, my men will be taking her to one of our vessels. Any interference on your part and I will destroy your ship." It was obvious that he was enjoying the look frustration and helplessness on Archer's face. "Finding yourself in position where you are powerless, weak and helpless doesn't set well with you, does it Captain Archer. Perhaps you have something you can offer me in exchange for her life."

"You obviously have something in mind." Archer already suspected he knew the answer. The Cabal and in particular the Temporal Agent had attempted to take him before. There was no reason to think that their target had changed.

"If you are truly interested in saving this woman, then I propose a trade." He sneered. "You must take her place as my prisoner and willingly go with my men . . . alone. If you arrive with any additional security or if you are armed, then she dies." Malice edged each word and Captain Archer recalled Agent Daniels warning that Danaë would die quickly once she was taken on their ship. There would be no time to mount a rescue. "Frustrating isn't it Jonathan? No matter what you choose you still end up losing." Silik's sneer was nauseating, but what he said was true. Though he felt defeated, he still managed a brave façade as he turned to the sub-commander.

"T'Pol, I'm leaving you in command. Make sure that Porthos gets to Dr. Phlox." He looked around the bridge then stepped into the lift. Never had the decent seemed so quick as it did now. There was no way to guess what they had in store for him. They would certainly interrogate him and unless his crew could figure out a way to rescue him, he would probably die. His crew was resourceful and he had faith that if there was way, they would find it. The doors opened before he knew it. He walked without faltering, though his heart was heavy. There was no hesitation in his look as he walked down the corridor and into view of the waiting throng of Suliban.

"Let my crewmen go." He ordered. Silik's soldiers motioned them to go, but kept their weapon pressed hard against Danaë's temple. In a gesture of submission he raised his hands into the air.

"What are you doing?' Danaë cried as the foot soldiers quickly surrounded and took hold of him. One quickly put a particle weapon to his head as they started leading him to the airlock. "No!" She screamed as she was released. She ran toward the door but it closed, leaving her pounding on it.

On the bridge she knew they would be formulating a plan and she desperately wanted to know what it was. She ran down the corridor towards the lift but as she turn the corner she found herself standing on bridge of the  _NX-01_. No one else was there, and the engines were still and silent. She looked about and wondered if all of this was a dream

"It's all real." Said a voice suddenly. Danaë jumped and turned to find a man wearing a strange black shiny body suit behind her. His dark hair was cropped short and he looked to be about her own age. "You are still on the  _Enterprise NX-01_  only the date is May 15, 2364, the date of your birth and it has been sitting in a museum for 203 years, carefully preserved."

"Who are you?" She asked.

"I'm Daniels." He answered.

"Agent Daniels." Recognition went through her. For a moment she wanted to hit him for all of this, but forced herself to remain calm. "You son of a bitch!"

"You and I need to talk."

"You go to hell." She growled

"I know you have been through a lot and deserve answers but you're just going to have to trust me." He explained, but she wasn't having any of it.

"Trust you? I don't even  _know_  you. I have been kidnapped and dragged though time because of your temporal cold war. I can't think of a single reason to trust you."

"Captain Archer's belief in me is not enough for you?" He asked a bit surprised.

"It would be on a great many things, but this . . . I'm sorry." She started to turn from him, but his voice suddenly caught her.

"My real name is Timot Danlen and I am from the 31st century." This was far from protocol, but he could see that with Danaë Picard it would take a lot more to earn her trust. "I work for the Temporal Integrity Commission and although we are allied with the United Federation of Planets I am not a part of Starfleet. You want answers and have every right to them, but in my time the Prime Directive has been expanded to encompass time travel as well. The smallest detail regarding the future told to you could have a disastrous effect and you know that."

"I am very familiar with the Prime Directive. Where most children are sung to sleep with lullabies my father quoted its principles. What I don't understand is why you don't do something. You . . . You can stop this. You can go back and change everything . . . stop them from taking him. You can go back and keep them from taking me so this will never happen."

"It's not that . . ."

" _Don't tell me it's not that simple. The fact that you and I are here is proof that the timeline is_ _ **not**_ _fixed_." She said, furious.

"It doesn't work that way. I am breaking any number of rules just talking to you right now, but I  _had_  to talk to you."

"Why?" She asked confused.

"Because you can save Captain Archer and it is imperative that you do."

"I can't save him." She answered shaking her head.

"You've already discovered the means. It's in your pocket." At this she brushed her hand across the pocket of her cargo pants and felt the modified tricorder.

"I haven't been able to test it. Right now it's only a theory. You want me to risk the ship, the crew, not to mention Captain Archer's life on a hypothesis?"

"It's not a theory and it  _will_  work." He assured her.

"Let's say it does work, in case you haven't noticed I'm nobody. I'm not even a member of Starfleet. Why would they listen to me?"

"You're Jean-Luc Picard's daughter, make them listen." She wanted to believe him, perhaps part of her did, but it was a leap of faith that she wasn't sure she could make. "Exploring space is in your blood. You took to this ship naturally as a child because you had already spent a lifetime on it. Now the wheel has come full circle." He gave a half smile. "No more running down unknown roads trying to escape from who you are, it's time to stop. Stand up and take your birthright." He pointed to the captain's chair and waited for her to take it. For a moment she was hesitant, then seizing the moment she went over and sat down. Instantly she was back in the same corridor where she had been before the encounter with Daniels. She could still his words echoing in her mind ' _you're Jean-Luc Picard's daughter, make them listen'_.

"I can get him back. I know how to get him back." She said as she ran towards the lift. She pressed the button and started to head up only to stop on the next deck. The doors opened and Trip stepped inside. He looked and saw that it was already headed to the bridge and the commander's set his jaw.

"You do not need to be on the bridge right now. As a civilian the only thing you need to be doing is taking your ass back down to the guest quarters and letting us handle this."

"I will  ** _not_**  stand down on this and don't you dare ask me to."

"You  ** _will_**  stand down, because the last thing I am going to do is risk Captain Archer's life on the whim of someone I don't even know." He asserted.

"No, you don't know me, but I have been studying the Suliban and their capabilities. If you fly into their space and hope to snatch the captain either by transporter or by shuttle than you are sadly mistaken. They have him and they are not going to let him go. They can cloak their vessels, they out maneuver and out gun the  _Enterprise_. Somehow I doubt they will simply tell you they are sorry and hand him over."

"What is your plan?" He asked sarcastically.

"I have the means to hack into their systems and shut them down completely." Her eyes gave a sparkle of mischief as the lift doors opened and they stepped onto the bridge.

The rest of the senior staff was already standing in the situation room discussing possible solutions for reclaiming the captain and didn't notice Danaë standing quietly in the background. Intently she listened to their ideas waiting for a chance to speak. One suggestion was a weapons upgrade, but even if they could be brought to a higher level, it would take far too long. The discussion then turned to how much damage would the ship sustain if they flew in and beamed him out as they had once before. This seemed most improbable since Silik would surely be expecting them and order the vessel destroyed. Another idea was using the captured cell ship to covertly move past the others allowing two men to get inside and rescue Archer. It was quickly pointed out that the cell ships lacked beaming capabilities so once they had docked it would be necessary to get out and search for the captain. It would not take long for them to be spotted and probably killed.

"Can I say something?" Danaë asked. Everyone, but Trip looked over at her in surprise. "I think I can get Captain Archer back with little to no damage or casualties." The group looked at each other skeptically,

"I'd like to hear what she has to say." Trip said suddenly. The one hint of her plan he had heard in the lift intrigued him and he wanted to know more. T'Pol gestured for Danaë to join them. Not waiting for a second invite she immediately stepped to the console and began to bringing up the schematics of the various Suliban ships as well as their helix.

"I've been reading all of your information regarding the Suliban and found one detail that I believe we can use to our advantage. The thing that struck me about them is that they can operate as either single cells or combine with other ships. I seriously doubt that their pilots are good enough to operate in perfect tandem at all times so (more likely) one ship controls the whole. This would also be the same principle for the Helix."

"How does that help us?" Hoshi asked

"All star ships, regardless of the species, have one common element in their technology and that is codes. Each of you were given specific clearance codes so that unauthorized individuals could not access the system. Now take that a little further and you have ship prefix codes. Those are ship specific so that when you log into the comm system or any console it knows that you are logged into the  _Enterprise_  instead of another ship. It is designed that way to prevent one ship from usurping the controls of another ship." You could have heard a pin drop in the room as she spoke. In particular both Commander Tucker and T'Pol seemed particularly interested. "Now if another vessel were to know our prefix code they could easily input the data into their system and seize control. What prevents that from happening is that not many species are familiar with humans and our language and coding systems and if they were, they would have to go through infinite possibilities to arrive at the one for  _Enterprise_." Looking at the group of officers it was obvious they were anxious to know how this was going to help get back the captain. "You want to know how this applies to the Suliban. Here it is, because their ships all link up they all have the same prefix code. Basically, whether they are attached or not, one operator can relinquish control to another. This is handy should someone be too injured or when they dock with another vessel. It's the exact same idea just bigger with their Helix. Find the prefix number and we can seize control from the bridge. You can utilize their weapons, their stealth generator, their shields, communications, life support . . . everything."

"What you propose is quite intriguing, how are you going to figure out the Suliban prefix codes?" T'Pol asked.

"I noticed in your databanks that you have acquired a Suliban ship." She took from her pocket the tricorder she had used before to access the  _Enterprise's_  computer files. She opened it and the screen and touch pad lit up instantly. From the back were a series of wires hanging loose and a bit wild. "In my time this was a tricorder. I started changing its capabilities to scan various computer systems and extract passwords, security codes, and any sort of encryption including prefix codes and clearance codes. It is also programed to read any language that is present on the universal communicator including Suliban . . . I checked."

"I say let's do it." Trip said, eager to jump in there and take back the captain.

"Since they would obviously be familiar with their codes, what stops them from taking back control?" T'Pol asked

"If we fly in under a flag of surrender we can get close enough to gain control of their ships. Once we have it, then all I need is Hoshi to weave her magic with languages and change the codes. They will have to discover what they are or perform a complete cold boot of their systems and put in new ones. Either way there should be plenty of time to get away." Danaë could see that T'Pol was weighing this course of action very carefully. She stepped forward to the sub-commander and looked at her pleadingly. "In order for this to run perfectly I do need to be in command, but the second this is over the ship is yours and you can lock me in my quarters and throw away the key."

T'Pol thought about what Danaë was proposing and could see its merit. The Suliban would never be expecting them to try anything so audacious. She still didn't believe in time travel and was uncertain about trusting the ship and the lives of the crew to woman she knew nothing about. The one thing she was sure of was that Captain Archer trusted her and that in itself was a great deal. Setting aside deeply engrained Vulcan beliefs was difficult but not impossible. She looked at the tricorder in Danaë's hand and knew without question that this was not the same technology that she was accustomed to. Perhaps it was time for a risk.

"I will grant you temporary command, but if I think for even a second that this ship and its crew are in danger I will shut this operation down, is that clear?"

"Crystal." Danaë answered with a relieved sigh. "Sub-commander I need you to scan for their warp trail. Ensign Mayweather, once that trail has been located then lay in a course and follow it. They're going to want to show off their prize and for that they need to go to their Helix. Commander Tucker I need you to show me the cell ship so I can plug this in and get the codes. Once I have them, then Ensign Sato I need your help translating them and putting them into our system."

"I'll put the armory on full alert. I doubt they're going to welcome us with open arms." Lt. Reed added.

"Make it so." Danaë answered, then immediately followed Tucker to the lift.

Commander Tucker took her to the cargo bay and showed her the Suliban spherical cell ship they had. Danaë took the small hand held device and plugged it into the ships computer system. Information began to zip across the screen in record speed.

"So how did you become a hacker?" Tucker asked as he watched the screen.

"Boredom. As a child I suppose I would have been considered 'gifted'. I believe I was simply bored and raised by a father who worked very long hours. Had he known what I was doing he probably would have classified me as a high level security risk and thrown me in the brig."

"He would have thrown you into the brig?" He asked skeptically.

"Maybe not the brig, but I probably would have been sent to live with my Uncle Robert and Aunt Marie."

"That's bad?"

"They avoid any superfluous technologies. That wouldn't bother me so much now, but back then, it would have been a personal hell."

"What's it doing?" Asked Trip as the screen started to slow down.

"It's narrowing down the information. Eventually it will narrow down to the specific codes for each system on this ship. There should be a portion of each code that each have in common. That will be the code were looking for. It continued its scan for several more minutes before finally settling on a series of glyphs made of circles and lines. The tricorder then broke down the symbol combinations into the code level and types. Just as she suspected, the command codes from the Helix superseded all others.

"That's the one." She said, her face lighting up. She held the tricorder out for Trip and showed it to him. This code is the master. Any commands received from this system will take immediate precedence. Watch." She went over to the nearest console and plugged in the tricorder. Once she programmed the console to interface with the cell ship she put in the command code she had discovered. After a few keystrokes the Suliban ship came alive and hovered for a few moments before she told it to land and shut down once more.

"Well I'll be damned." A smile spread across the Commanders face at the sight. "Silik won't know what hit him."

They immediately took the information to the bridge and informed T'Pol of their success. Plugging the tricorder into console Danaë began to interface with the system so that when they caught up to the Suliban each of  _Enterprise's_  consoles would have access to the corresponding function on the other ship.

"As soon as T'Pol gives me the signal that we have control of their Helix and ships, I need you to go in and change the code. I don't know their language, but the prefix looks to be about seven digits. I'll let you decide on the changes. If you need any suggestions I have a few seven letter words you can use." At this Hoshi couldn't help smiling.

"I think I can come up with something." She said.

Now there was nothing left to do but wait. Danaë sat down in the captain's chair and watched the view screen. All she could see were the stars flying by. For a moment self-doubt began to creep inside and a terrible fear that she was wrong plagued her. Never had she had so much on the line. Still only seeing endless space before them a new concern crept into her thoughts. What if they were too late? What if Captain Archer was already dead by the time they arrived? No, no, he was alive, she had to hold on to that. Imagining all the 'what ifs' was nothing more than standing in quick sand. She had to block them from her mind.

Growing up, her Father never seemed to falter. Always confident, yet even as a child she'd known it to be only a façade. There were times when he was afraid and unsure of what to do, but a captain cannot allow the crew to see it. She had to put on her own mask of confidence. Whatever happened she could not be the first to blink. For a moment she closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm her pounding heart. Looking back up at the view screen she noticed they were approaching what seemed to be a planet. Its spherical shape was striped in blues, whites, reds and oranges.

"Magnify." She ordered. The screen changed giving her a very clear view. "Gas giant."

"It's a class six gas giant. The Suliban warp trail continues into it." T'Pol advised. These immense celestial bodies were categorized as planets, yet there was no real surface to them. Made up of a mixture of gases such as hydrogen and helium with a liquid compound center, these giants rotate quickly and are extremely cold. The warp trails continued into the dense gases which, no doubt, made an excellent place to hide.

"Lt. Reed, polarize the hull plating, then load the torpedoes and have the weapons on stand-by. I want to be ready just in case they see through our ruse. Ensign Sato make sure that they know we have our white flag in the air and seeking to talk terms. I don't want them to think that we are any threat."

The  _Enterprise_  reduced its speed and slowly moved through the first layer of gases. Everything was smooth as they passed though the surface layer. The next layers were not so kind as the ship was shook violently.

"I'm getting slight warp field distortions." Lt. Reed informed her. From her research, Danaë remembered the same thing happened when the ship last encounter the Suliban and ordered the lowering of the beacons.

"Modify the view screen and run a full sweep of the ships perimeter." Her command was quickly followed and as she expected there were Suliban cell ships all around them. "Hoshi, are you still signaling our surrender?"

"Yes."

"Good. That's probably why they haven't fired yet." Emerging like a ghost through the gases appeared the Helix. It was hard to tell what its true size was. The core of the station was covered in individual cell ships like a hive covered in bees. "Sensor Readings?" Danaë asked going over to the console and looking over Hoshi's shoulder.

"Our bio-scans are showing 2900 Suliban and 1 human lifeform."

"That's the one we're looking for." Danaë commented.

"We're being hailed." Hoshi informed her.

"On screen." Not wanting to give herself away just yet, she stayed behind the Ensign and watched the self-assured face of Silik appear. His narrow yellow eyes showed his disdain for the human ship and its crew. Danaë gave a quick signal to T'Pol who quickly input the authorization code then proceeded to call up the Helix computer systems.

"This was a noble, but an incredibly foolish act, sub-commander. We have you out numbered and our weapons are far more powerful than anything on your vessel." Instead of T'Pol, to his surprise Danaë stepped into view. "You are not the captain." Silik sneered. "Where is the Vulcan woman?"

"She is here and has graciously allowed me the opportunity to discuss terms with you." Her words had the desired effect as she saw his yellow eyes betray his interest.

"Terms? What exactly are you offering?"

"I offer myself in exchange for Captain Archer." She said. Off to the side she noticed T'Pol nod, signaling that they had successfully accessed the Suliban systems. She looked over at Hoshi and gave a very slight nod, where upon she began to furiously press buttons on her console. "I will have myself beamed aboard your ship without struggle or argument, but you must return the captain."

"You offer very little. He is a far greater prize than you." His arrogance was almost nauseating, yet Danaë was still glad to see it. So long as he was self-assured of his superiority he had no idea what was happening. "I have learned all about you just as I did Archer. It was impossible not to, they are so inextricably linked. I'm a bit surprised to see the child of Picard so quick to submit. I took the liberty of studying him as well. I didn't want to risk his interference."

"Wise decision, but from what I understand he would not have been in any condition to stop you. Don't be fooled though, There was a time when he could play the action hero and save the day. My father didn't like to lose. I suppose it's a family trait." Hoshi was still altering the codes and Danaë knew she had to stall for a little more time. "The thing he was best known for was his use of words and diplomacy. He tried to teach me the art, but I never had his eloquence. One thing he did make me understand and appreciate, was their power. How words can shatter a heart or mend one. The right words can make the difference between war and peace." Hoshi turned to Danaë and nodded signaling that the clearance codes had been successfully altered.

"If you are hoping to somehow play on my sympathies, it will not work." His voice dripped with conceit. To his surprise Danaë smiled.

"You're right it won't, but it did hold your attention long enough to distract you and yours while we took control of your ship. Sub-commandeer reduce their power to basic life support and minimal communications. I want disabled not dead." Light and systems on board the Suliban ships began fluttering and then shut down leaving them with only emergency lighting and the functions that would keep them alive. Silik began issuing commands, ordering his men to raise their shields and fire their weapons, but none of it worked. "You would have been better off making me miss my transport and leaving me in my own time. Mayweather have the cell chips fall back and give us a safe pathway for our departure once we retrieve the captain."

"Yes, Ma'am." He said smiling. Silik looked as though he might choke on his rage as the ships did indeed move and open a path for the  _Enterprise_.

"Bring our systems back up! I want them blown out of the stars!" He yelled, then shoved one of his men out of the way and desperately try to bring back his controls himself.

"We're locked out. There is nothing we can do." One of his subordinates said. Though she was enjoying the chaos happening on board the Helix as well as the other ships, Danaë remained stoic. Seating herself in the captain's chair she turned and pressed the comm button.

"Commander Tucker have you got a lock on the captain?"

"Yes, Ma'am." He answered, happily.

"Get him out of there. Let me know the second you have him on board." It was a nervous few seconds of waiting. He wasn't dead, but that did not mean that he had not been badly harmed.

"We have the captain." Commander Tucker announced with great relief.

"You realize that the second you are out of range our systems will return and we will pursue you." Silik hissed angrily.

"I've already anticipated that. That's why I took the liberty of reprogramming all of your coding systems. You'll need to discover those before your ship will listen to your commands. Mr. Mayweather, get us out of here, Warp-5 . . . Engage."

She watched the monitor as they flew by the cell ships then rose out of the gas giant. Hoshi gave a smile to Danaë as did Lt. Reed. Like a ghost from somewhere distant she could almost hear her father whisper in her ear,  _well done, child_. Danaë turned to T'Pol and bowed her head respectfully.

"Thank-you sub-commander for your indulgence. I return your ship to you." To her surprise T'Pol nodded back and though her face remained emotionless there was still look of appreciation in her eyes.

"Well done." T'Pol answered. Danaë smiled and left the bridge as the sub-commander took her place in the captain's chair.

She was glad  _and_  relieved that everything had worked and now all she wanted to do was go to her quarters and relax. Stepping into the G-deck corridor she suddenly heard Trip call her over the comm system and order her to sickbay. Danaë did an immediate about face and went up to E-deck.

"The captain wants to see you." Commander Tucker said as she stepped from the lift. "The doc's checking him out. They roughed him up pretty good." She furrowed her brow at the thought then went to sick bay.

Commander Tucker had been correct, the Suliban had taken out some of their frustration on Captain Archer. Their interrogation had only just begun when the  _Enterprise_  had arrived, but it had still left its mark. Danaë couldn't help wincing at the cuts and bruises on his face and chiding herself for not getting there sooner. With irrepressible optimism Dr. Phlox cheerfully assured her that it was nothing serious and he would be perfectly normal in a day or two.

"Thank you." Captain Archer said, "Trip told me everything. That's one hell of a plan you came up with."

"I do have my talents, but honestly it wasn't all that much. Certainly nothing to thank me for." She said, clearly uncomfortable. She had witnessed Starfleet officers risk life and limb quite often and to her they were heroes. In her mind this was simply doing what was right and nothing more.

"Yes it was." Archer insisted. "Everyone on this ship thanks you. What you did was amazing. I wish I could've seen Silik's face."

"It really wasn't anything impressive, it was a poker game and I stacked the deck, that's all." Not only had she stacked the deck, but her method of obtaining the information had been a breach of trust in itself.

"Yes it was and you are going to stand here and let me thank you. That's an order."

"Captain . . . if you really feel that you must thank me . . . let it be for yourself alone. Your crew owes me nothing. Don't misunderstand, they have my every respect and admiration, but the truth is . . . my thoughts were entirely of you." She started to leave only to stop as she heard the captain call out. She turned back to see him walking towards her.

"I will have to file a report with Admiral Forrest. In that report I intend to recommend that you be offered an enlistment opportunity and be allowed to remain on board. In my opinion you have shown yourself to have equally as much knowledge and ability as any crewman on this ship. Besides, you never know when I might need someone with a talent for manipulating technology." She tried to suppress her smile at his description of her skills. "If he agrees, Will you accept?" To the captain's surprise she started laughing. "Not exactly the answer I was expecting."

"You couldn't have known, but just before all of this started I was speaking to my Aunt Lotte and one of the last things she said to me was that I should try joining Starfleet again." She continued laughing for a moment. "I told her that if President Archer himself asked me . . . then I would. I had no way of knowing . . ." Danaë continued, getting her laughter under control. "I suppose I should keep my word, but if it's all the same to you I would like an opportunity to think about it."

"Of course." He assured her.

Danaë continued to quietly chuckle to herself as she took the lift down to G-deck and returned to the guest quarters. It had been a long day, but everything had returned to normal, at least as close to it as she would ever know again. She was intrigued by Captain Archer's offer of joining the crew of the  _NX-01_. Still, she was so unsure of the future and which way she should go. For once in her life she longed to ask her father what he thought. Suddenly she remembered the box he had asked her aunt to give her.

Taking it from the drawer beneath the bed she sat down and opened it. A smile spread across her face as her eyes fell upon a bottle of Chateau Picard. Her father used say that one should never drink it all at once and never alone. This would need to be saved for a special occasion. Hoping to get a better look at the label she moved some of the packing material and found a small box with a note attached to the lid. Opening the note she found a short and concise message.  _View these in sequential order_ , it read. She opened the box and found a series of data disks. Her curiosity was piqued. What information could he have sent her? Taking the small box from the larger one she accidentally took some of the packing material with it. Brushing it away something caught her eye. Carefully nestled next to the wine bottle was a green box that suddenly made her catch her breath.

She recognized that box all too well. For a moment she was afraid to touch it. It was a procession that her father had prized above almost everything else. Her hand shook as she gently ran her fingers along the rough green case. At first she was afraid to open it expecting to hear her father tell her 'no', but after a moment she carefully lifted it out of the box and held it in her hands. She knew exactly what was inside. As tears began to fill her eyes she reverently opened the case and looked upon her father's Ressikan flute. It was such a simple, but beautiful piece. Carefully she ran her fingers along the six small holes then gently touched the soft silky white tassel that hung from the narrow cord wrapped around the instrument.

Although he acquired the flute after her arrival, she still could not remember a time without it. She asked him about it once and he told her that it was a reminder of some very happy memories. Once, when her father was deep in reading, Danaë decided to try and play it. The sound was anything but music and it instantly offended her father's highly acute hearing. Carefully she set the flute on the table then picked up the first data disk and slipped it into her PADD. The image of her father, Jean-Luc Picard appeared. He had grown a white beard since she last saw him, but there was no mistaking his face.

"Danaë, if you are watching this, then I know I will never see you again. I don't want to leave things between us the way they are. I only wish we could have had the opportunity to speak face to face. Don't grieve, child, I know what happened to you and I know the future that you will help build and that my grandson's will continue. I am deeply proud of you, I always was. I realize now that I should have shown that to you more often.

"I never felt more inadequate in any role than that of a parent. I know that I made a lot of mistakes and I can't undo them. You came along at a time when I had assumed that the possibility of a family of my own had long passed. Then suddenly, to my astonishment, there you were. I remember you were wearing a pink frock with a rose barrette in your hair clutching your doll. You looked so much like your mother. You were the little ghost reminding me . . ." Here he stopped for a moment and pushed back whatever emotion Solenne's memory brought. "I learned quickly though that you were not her. I know my duties as captain took me away a lot but I always noticed you and I know you better than you think. When you look out and see the stars flying by you wonder what secrets they hold. It's not enough for you to see an automaton move, you want to know how it works. To touch the gears and know all of its inner workings. I'll always remember watching you light up with wonder as you led me around the holographic  _NX-01_. You were determined to figure it out. You learned every control, and display. It was obvious that you belonged on that ship. Your mother would have been proud of you.

"I have never spoken to you about your mother and I know you have a lot of questions. Once you asked me why we didn't stay together. I blame myself for that. The  _Enterprise-D_  was the flagship of the fleet and being given command was an exceptional opportunity and one that I took very seriously. Unfortunately, in the process there were things I let slip away and she was one of them. I want you to know that I loved her and if there was ever a time when I considered sharing my life with someone, it was during those years with Solenne. Our lives are full of joys and regrets. Solenne was one of the great joys of my life and although I have had my share of relationships, when I close my eyes I still see her. I will always regret our parting. How different things might have been if I . . ." Once again he grew silent but quickly collected himself and moved on. "You asked me once how she died and the truth is she was murdered by a former colleague out of revenge. I am grateful that I was able to be there at the time of her passing. All of her personal logs, images and records are on the other data disks, including all the details taken from the investigation into her death. You're her daughter and they should go to you.

"You should also find a very special item in there that I hope you will take great care of. It is a Ressikan flute. I acquired that flute after a very profound experience. At the time I was still uncertain as to whether you should stay on board or if I should send you to live with your aunt and uncle in La Barre. We encountered a probe that emitted a nucleonic beam that linked itself to me. Within my own mind I found myself on the planet Kataan, in a community called Ressik. I lived 35 years in that community, married, and had children and even a grandchild. All through those years I played that flute. When it was almost time for me to pass on I awoke to find myself back on the  _Enterprise_. All of it had happened in only about 25 minutes. It seemed that Kataan and all its inhabitants had died away a thousand years ago. They had left the probe in hopes of finding someone they could share all their lives and experiences with and not be forgotten. When the probe was opened, that flute was inside.

"For a short time I grieved for that family and that experience changed me in many ways. I could no longer imagine a life without family and I was grateful that I didn't have to. I still had a family and I could not bear the idea of you not being there. I wanted to watch you grow up and see the woman that you would become. In my wildest of dreams I could not have imagined all that you would do. Shortly after that incident with the probe I made the decision to raise you myself. As I recall, we spent the next day together on the holodeck at the shore."

"The beach at Seychelles." Danaë whispered to herself in realization. She remembered it well, but had never known the significance. "You helped me build a sandcastle, collect seashells and we played in the water. I remember."

"I want you to keep that flute so that when your journey becomes arduous, you will be able to see it and remember that I am with you. We can transcend time so long as each of us remembers the other. I don't know what forces have conspired to keep us apart, but I am still with you and I will always love you, child. I know that you love me too. I've always known that. I feel honored to have been your father and I know you are in good hands. Your captain is a man of excellent character, one of the best. I also know your character and it remains to be seen as to whether or not he can handle you. I hope that when you speak of me to my grandsons your memories will be warm."

"Yes, Pa-pa." Tears flowed freely as she tried to assure the image before her.

"God speed you on your great adventure. You have a universe to discover, first contacts to be made and a Federation to build. Destiny is calling you to your hero's welcome. Never be afraid of it." Never in all her life had she seen him look so delighted when it came to her. His smile was warm and his eyes sparkled in pride. "Picard out." With that the message was over. Danaë's heart was filled with so much happiness and so much regret. She wondered how he knew what had happened to her, but was grateful that he did.

Over the years she had pushed away so many memories of her father, yet now, so far removed from that time they came to her so vividly. Danaë could recall meeting her father, Captain Picard, quite clearly. Counselor Troi had already spoken to her, explaining that her mother had passed away and that she would be going to live with her father. He had sent one of the shuttles to bring her over because he had wanted to give her a little more time to transition and understand where she was going. She tried to imagine what her father looked like and what sort of man he was as she boarded the shuttle. The whole trip she stared out the window at the massive star ship.  _My father is in command of that_ , she marveled to herself. Once they had landed in the shuttle bay she was quickly led through the corridors, her hazel eyes took in everything around her. Deanna Troi held her hand and tried to make her feel better by telling her things about the ship. She told her about the other children that she would get to play with and the great activities she would be able to participate in. Stopping at a doorway she heard a man call out 'come' in a deep voice and instantly she was afraid, her small hand shaking. When she entered the room she tried to hide as much as she could behind the counselor. Her heart was pounding as they came around to the front of the desk.

"Captain, may I present Danaë Picard." At the introduction she peeked out slightly from behind Deanna to see her father. To her young eyes he seemed rather old and intimidating, not what she expected. He stared back at her and clearly he was as uncertain about all of this as she was. For his part, he saw a miniature version of Solenne looking back at him.

"She's rather small isn't she?" He asked clearly uncomfortable.

"She is only 4 years old, captain."

"I'm not so little. I'm nearly five." Danaë responded a bit indignantly. His expression changed slightly at her outburst and she quickly hid behind the counselor again.

"I think I will leave you two alone to get acquainted." With that Counselor Troi excused herself and left. How long father and daughter stared at each other was hard to say. It was at least several minutes before either of them spoke.

"Are you really my Pa-pa?" She asked softly as she clutched a well-loved doll in her arms.

"I am."

"Is this going to be my new home?" She continued, her eyes looking around the quarters. It was not as big as the one she shared with her mother, but then the ship was not as big as the  _Regula Station_  either. There was a couch and seating area behind her and a dining area over to her right. She could see a bed over to her left sticking out from behind a partition. The one feature she did like was the large windows and the view of space they afforded.

"It is." He answered. "What has your mother told you about me?"

"Only that your name is Jean-Luc and you are a captain. She told me that you are a good man and that you like to look out at the stars and dream like me." She walked around his desk and stood before him. "Did you love Ma-ma?" She asked suddenly.

"I did, very much." He answered softly.

"She's not coming back, is she?" Her face grew long and sad at the thought.

"No, she is not coming back." To his surprise she began to climb up onto his lap. Being small she had some difficulty but he carefully helped her. Once settled she reached out with her small cherub like hands and began to touch his face as her curious eyes studied him. Once satisfied she laid her head against his shoulder as he carefully stroked her curls and held her.

Sitting there in the guest quarters of the  _NX-01_  Danaë thought about how far away it all seemed, like a completely different life. She replayed the message from her father at least a dozen times. He seemed so confidant in her future and all she would accomplish. She wished she shared his certainty. To be a member of this crew was tantamount to hacking it out in the wilderness with your own two hands. Starfleet was there, but there was little they could do since there was no Federation or alliances to call upon. True, the Vulcan's were there, but it didn't sound like they were eager to help. To be a true pioneer . . . now that would be quite an adventure.

"You've been right all along father, I cannot resist what the fates have imposed." Recalling how her father had played the small flute, she carefully placed it to her lips, then placing her fingers over the holes, began to blow. A high pitched noted was emitted to her satisfaction. She continued to change the finger combinations, learning each of the notes. She continued to play until she could no longer keep her eyes open and fell asleep.


	6. The Wheel Comes Full Circle

The next day, true to his word, Archer spoke with Admiral Forrest advising him on the incident and giving his recommendation that Danaë remain on board as a permanent crewman. This was no easy sell. The admiral was impressed with the way she had rescued the captain, but this woman's background was questionable to say the least. To allow her into Starfleet without following the proper channels was something that ran contrary to regulation, but such things could be overlooked. Hoshi had proven this when Archer re-enlisted her despite having been dishonorably discharged for running a floating poker game and breaking the arm of an instructor. She was still the top of her field which made her indispensable during  _Enterprise's_  first mission and she continued to be.

What was in Danaë's favor was that Admiral Forrest trusted Jonathan Archer's judgement. When the captain assured him that she had a fire in her belly and was willing to lay everything on the line for Starfleet, his word was not questioned. Yet, as intriguing as this pitch was, the admiral would not agree to anything until he find out what this young woman was capable of for himself. For one full day she answered question after question regarding earth history as well as Starfleet regulation and protocol followed by rigorous testing on warp engine principles, theories that ranged from the first warp engine built for the  _Phoenix_  to the Henry Archer's Warp-5 engine. Curious to see how far she could go he began to throwing questions at her from the officer's exams which she answered with little hesitation. When it was over it was clear that while she was no longer the ace student, she still managed to perform exceedingly well.

The following day she was told to meet with Commander Tucker for a practical applications test. He had been sent a series of tasks that she had to be able to complete. On his own he threw in a few additional trials because he found that things seldom went as scripted and he wanted to see how she would behave and work under pressure. She never faltered. There were even a few times when she was able to show Trip a trick he was unaware of. At the end of day two it was certain that she had retained most the information learned in her youth.

After two days of testing, Admiral Forrest was nearly convinced and ready to offer her a commission. His only qualms was that he wanted to verify that she was physically fit and could handle herself. He read enough of Captain Archer's reports to know that the crew was constantly finding themselves in challenging situations, from other species as well as the elements. Dr. Phlox was more than willing to sign off her physical wellbeing, He had run enough tests on her when she arrived that he was positive she was healthy.

It fell to Lt. Reed to evaluate her abilities with weapons as well as hand to hand combat. Though he remembered well the Klingon knife she carried, he was still a bit skeptical as to how well she could defend herself. He might have enjoyed the idea of engaging in a contact exercise with her in the beginning, but after she managed to lay in a couple of hard blows things got serious. Indeed, he found her to be a challenging opponent and was impressed with her technique as well as her ability to use her short stature to her advantage. In an attempt to show off his skill Lt. Reed upped the ante and came at Danaë full force. In the same instant her style changed which caught him off guard making it possible to bring him to the ground, causing him instant pain and regret.

"What the hell was that?" He asked as she helped him up.

"Mok'bara, it's a type of Klingon martial arts. Are you going to be okay?" She suddenly felt bad looking at the way he was still catching his breath.

"Where did you learn Klingon martial arts?"

"An officer on my father's ship taught me. His name was Lt. Worf and he was the chief of security when I was a child. He would give Mok'bara martial arts classes and I started attending them when I was about 6. When he transferred to a space station he left me a program on the holodeck that continued the lessons as I got older." She explained.

"You had a Klingon as chief of security?" Malcolm had some experience with Klingons, but from what he had seen, he couldn't imagine one in Starfleet, let alone in charge of security.

"Yes we did. He was a damn fine officer too. In the interest of maintaining good health I would never advise questioning his courage, honor or integrity. However, you could not find a more loyal or honorable man." She handed Malcom a towel and his bottle of water.

"You'll have to teach me some of those moves." Lt. Reed answered then quickly drank down some water.

"Anytime.

"Next I need to test your weapons knowledge and ability down in the armory, but first I need a couple of minutes to recoup." He sat down on a bench and wiped sweat from his face with a towel.

"Do you remember the other day when you invited me to join you for movie night? I don't suppose that offer is still good?" She asked. He looked at her in surprise. "As friends of course." She quickly amended as she picked up her own water bottle and sat down next to him on the bench.

"Yeah." He smiled brightly at her. "I have no idea what Commander Tucker has picked out, but it should be fun."

The two talked at length about self-defense and different types of martial arts. Lt. Reed was well versed in each earth style and was eager to learn more from other species. Danaë not only knew Mok'bara but had learned some of the finer points of the Vulcan martial arts of Suus Mahna and Tal-shaya from a Vulcan teacher during her travels on earth. Though she never learned to be as proficient at it as she might have hoped, she had a great appreciation for the art. Being able to defend yourself was a skill that had proved essential during her travels on earth and on occasion she had been in situations when it probably saved her. Malcom rose from the bench and held out his hand to help her up.

"Let's get your weapons test over with. I suspect I already know whether you'll pass or fail, but protocol  _is_  protocol." His assumption proved to be correct. She was at least as good a shot as he was, possibly a bit better. Had she been able to use her own phaser, the scores might have been higher.

After all the testing was done there as a final meeting with Admiral Forrest. He was quick to tell her how impressed he was at how well she performed. As anticipated she was offered a position in Starfleet and would be remaining on board the  _Enterprise_  primarily in the engineering department. She would be considered an 'extra man' as it were, filling in wherever they needed her until a more permanent position could be determined. Her rank was still under discussion with Captain Archer, though her natural assumption was that she would begin as an Ensign.

She was assigned to new quarters just on the other side of the wall from Travis Mayweather and she wasted no time in packing up her belongs and moving in. The room was rather small with a single twin bed surrounded by shelves, a small desk with a computer, and a chair with a table. It did have its own private bathroom which was something of a luxury on this ship. Strange she would have that amenity as an ensign. The size of the room didn't bother her in the slightest. It had been a long time since she had had any real room of her own. The only thing she was disappointed about was that there were no windows, but she could make do with the ones in the mess hall.

A thousand thoughts ran through her mind as she unpacked her few meager belongings. In as much as she loved this opportunity, she knew there was also an element of difficulty that she would have to struggle with every day that the others would rarely have to face. She had no way of knowing everything that this ship and its crew would face in the future, but there were a few things. The Prime Directive still had yet to be written, but it would have to be the absolute law by which she would need to govern the rest of her life. She could not contaminate this time with the technology she had brought with her and, hardest of all, she could not give warnings about events she knew to be coming, like the Earth-Romulan War. In her memory she could hear her father's words,  _History has proven again and again that whenever mankind interferes with a less developed civilization, no matter how well intentioned that interference may be, the results are invariably disastrous._  She placed her 24th century PADD and phaser into the box that held her bottle Chateau Picard. She started to put her modified tricorder into the box as well, only to stop. There was a far better place for this.

She put on one of her new uniforms and slipped the device into one of the pockets. Looking at herself in the mirror she smiled as she saw the red piping signifying that she was in the operations division. Somehow as a child when she had imagined herself putting on the uniform of Starfleet, this had not been the one she expected. She carefully bound her hair back into a chignon, allowing a few stray curls to frame her face, then placed a carved bone comb into the French pleat. The comb had been a gift from her father on her eighteenth birthday and was carved from the bone of an animal called a herensuge on the planet Anoushka and was inlaid with beautiful blue gems. He had never told her much about it other than an old woman gave it to him specifically for his child. She once more peered at her reflection and thought about all the things that had happened in the last few days.

"I suppose resistance is futile." She affirmed rather cheekily. Over the comm system the announcement was given that the night's movie would begin in 30 minutes. "It's time."

The mess hall was packed as crewmen watched Bob Hope being thrust into the role of a western hero in the movie ' _The Paleface'_. Danaë sat comfortably between Lt. Reed and Dr. Phlox. She wasn't sure which was more entertaining, the movie or the good Doctor's constant chatter and observations. Just as the movie heroes were rumbling along in the back of a covered wagon with Bob Hope playing the accordion and singing 'buttons and bows', Danaë's attention was broken by a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Captain Archer behind her.

"I hate to interrupt your first movie night but I need to see you privately for a moment. He pointed to the captain's mess and with a quick polite 'excuse me' Danaë followed.

"I don't officially start until tomorrow, so I have to wonder what I've done." She asked nervously as the door shut and she stood perfectly still at attention.

"No, nothing like that. I need to present you with something." He reached out and pinned two silver pips just above the red piping on the left side of her uniform. "You are now officially a Starfleet Lieutenant." He said with a friendly smile. Danaë looked at him in surprise.

"A Lieutenant? I thought at most I might be an Ensign."

"Admiral Forest thought he could trip you up by asking you questions from the officer's exam and instead you passed." He looked over this new addition to his crew with satisfaction. "The uniform suits you."

"I think I like it better than the one my father will wear," She answered proudly. "At least mine has pockets. Which reminds me, I have something I need to give you."

She reached into her pocket and took out her precious modified tricorder. "This is what I used to hack into the Suliban system and control their Helix and ships. It's the same one I used to hack my father's files, the counselor's files, the food replicator and possibly the academy's student files. I may have also used to it access your ships files so I could learn the Suliban's weakness." Archer stared at her with a look of amazement. "This is a fresh start and I want there to be no question of my integrity. Lock it up in a safe place. Hopefully it can remain retired, but if the need arises you can always give it back." He took the device and started to put it down on the table only to realize one of the wires was caught on his sleeve. He started to try and untangle it, but found it difficult with one hand. Danaë stepped forward and started helping him get the wire lose. As it came free she looked up and realized she was standing against him, their faces only inches away. Both were aware of the growing interest between them and instinctively stepped away from each other leaving plenty of room.

"I hope that you and I can work together professionally without there being any tension or awkwardness between us." He said.

"Yes, of course, captain." She answered. They both looked at each other knowing that this was something they may yet have to confront, but neither was certain of the best way.

"You should probably get back to the movie, Malcom is probably wondering if you're coming back. I suspect he might like you." The captain teased.

"Malcolm is a friend only, I have made that clear. He just wants to learn some of my Klingon moves. If I don't hurry though, I'll miss the part where Jane Russell falls in love with Bob Hope." Danaë said quickly changing the subject and pressing the door button.

"I realize this time is very different from the world you are used to, but I hope you will adjust and find some happiness with us."

"I am happy captain." She assured him with a smile. "I get to be at the beginning of it all with you."

She quickly exited the captain's mess and returned to the darkness of movie night.  _It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves,_  she thought as she rejoined the crowd in the mess hall.  _What is my destiny_ , she wondered. As a child and in the academy she had been looking for her father's approval. As an adult backpacking across earth she had been looking for a way to escape all the wrongs she had caused. Now she was traveling on a star ship just beginning to explore the reaches of space. For the first time she felt a part of something.

"Is everything okay?" Dr. Phlox asked offering her popcorn and smiling his ever present smile.

"Everything is fine." She answered taking a few pieces of popcorn. "I just realized for the first time that I'm home."


	7. As Long as You Tell My Story

**Stardate 75138.95 (February 20, 2398)**

The sun was just beginning to set as an old man returned to his family home after working in the vineyards. Retirement did not set well with him, but at the age of 93 there was no choice. Jean-Luc Picard was no longer the commanding presence that he had been 20 years ago. He wasn't the man he had been as an admiral a mere 10 years ago. Irumodic Syndrome was making him easily confused and age was taking its toll on his body. Yet each evening his heart danced as he looked up at the sky and watched as the stars appeared. He longed to once again be among them exploring the many corners of the galaxy on the  _Enterprise_. He had always loved adventure and exploration . . . his heart still did, but it was not all he missed.

Sitting down in his high back chair, he sipped his earl grey tea as his sister-in-law, Marie, brought him his PADD. On it were numerous communiqué's waiting for him to respond to as well as Federation news. At this time in his life he no longer had the focus or patience to sort through it all anymore. Ignoring everything else, he instead brought up a file of images and began to look through them. The faces of many old friends appeared before him, some which were no longer around, like Data. Though they made him smile, he still continued to scroll pass them. He finally stopped on a very particular photograph. It was of a young woman dressed in the uniform of a Starfleet Cadet. She had blond curly hair pulled back in a chignon with a few curls framing her smiling face.

This lovely young cadet had inherited his eyes and desire for exploration. Each evening he looked at her picture and thought about his daughter, Danaë. He had not seen or heard from her in fifteen years, not since this photo was taken. He did not fully understand the resentment she had for him, but he suspected he knew some of it. She left the Academy at the conclusion of her freshman year after they had quarreled and there had been no contact since. He could've had her found and brought back to him, but he didn't. That could only have wedged the gap between them even wider and he didn't want that. She needed to find her own way. He could not decide her future for her. Still, he often thought of her and wondered if she was safe, warm and getting enough to eat.  _Where are you child,_  he wondered to himself.

He moved on to the next picture and his smile grew brighter. It was Danaë again, but this photo was of her when she was a little girl dressed in light blue sitting on the floor of his old captain's quarters playing with a model of the  _Enterprise-D_. Back then, no one could ever have convinced him that he would become a father, especially at his age. Not a single day went by that he didn't think of her and wish for a moment to talk things over. Perhaps it was because he felt his life was beginning to come to a close. Maybe he simply didn't want things to go on unresolved the way they had between himself and  _his_  father. There were certainly a lot of things he wanted to tell her about himself and especially about her mother. It was time to pass on to her the Picard inheritance and all the land, vineyards and tradition that went with it.

Looking out his window the sky was beginning to take on a warm orange glow against the green rows of vines. The bright, hot sun hung just above the horizon. The stars would be here soon and his telescope was ready. It was true that he had mapped the stars that silently watched over earth at least a dozen times since he was a boy, yet it still held wonder for him. Despite his anticipation of this nightly ritual, Picard soon found his eyes growing heavy as he listened to the sound of a bird happily chirping its song. For a moment he dozed off only wake himself back up with a quick shake of his head. As he opened his eyes he realized he was no longer seated in his chair at the window. Even worse, he was not in France. He was uncertain as to where he was beyond the fact that he was laying under a tree.

Picard looked at the gnarled tree and its blue green leaves and immediately knew that this was no earth tree. This place was clearly a class M planet and had many similarities to earth in look and make-up, but there were subtle differences in the fauna and flora. Where was he and how did he get here? He stood and walked about marveling at its beauty. The mountains, with their white peaks, seemed higher than anything back home. The air was crisp and the grass beneath his feet was soft as velvet.

"Well, well, Rip Van Winkle has finally awaken." Said an all too familiar voice. He turned around and his eyes instantly narrowed as he saw his old nemesis leaning casually against the tree he had awaken under.

"What is this about Q? Where are we and why have you brought me here?" Picard demanded.

"Tut, tut Picard. I take you on a special trip to break up the monotony of your life and this is how you thank me?"

"Q, I am an old man. I no longer have the patience and energy to fight with you. Surely you can find some younger man to grapple with." Picard responded wearily.

"Plenty, but the reason for my visit is less about you and more about keeping a promise I made. Someone we both know requested my help delivering a gift, of sorts, to you." Q's words were only met with a skeptical sideways look from Picard. It was not that Q never did anything out of kindness or to be helpful, it was just that it was always part of some bigger game or motive that only he understood. It was also a point of fact that whenever he appeared there was always trouble. That was one thing Picard could be always sure of. "Your distrust of me hurts, Jean-Luc. Over the years you have been a great source of amusement to me and I thought in return I would give you the chance to know the fate of Danaë Picard. Perhaps I was wrong, perhaps it would be better not to tell you at all." At this Picard became alarmed and quickly came towards Q, clearly agitated.

"What have you done with her!?"

"I have done nothing. In five months' time, destiny will punch a hole through time and take her over two hundred years into the past." Q explained.

"You lie."

"Do I?" A PADD suddenly appeared in his hand and he held it out to Picard. "Look up the file on Lieutenant Commander Danaë D'Arcy-Archer and tell me what you find."

With no other choice but to trust Q he reluctantly took the PADD and brought up the file. An image immediately appeared that left him dumb struck. It was Danaë. He knew that face better than anyone. Perhaps a few years older but there was no mistaking it. She was wearing a Starfleet uniform, but it was hardly the one worn now. The blue jumpsuits, patches and insignia were from the 22nd century. Reading the file he found that Danaë D'Arcy had no past information before being found by the  _Enterprise_  in 2152. It was too fantastic.

"Why should I believe you? You have the power to alter reality to your whims. This," He pointed the PADD in his hand, "could be nothing more than illusion created by you for some purpose I have yet to figure out." At his accusations, Q bristled.

"You used to be more fun, Picard. Has retirement changed you into a grumpy old man?"

"Maybe your games have just grown old and tiresome. You obviously brought me to this place, wherever we are, for a reason. Perhaps you should just tell me what it is."

"This is the planet Archer IV and why you're here lies just over that hill." Q pointed off into the distance. "It's not as far as it appears."

He didn't trust Q and for a moment considered staying where he was, but curiosity pulled at him. With a sideways glance at his nemesis, Picard started down the hillside following a rather meandering trail. He didn't notice whether or not Q was following behind and he really didn't care. He just wanted to know what all this was about. When he reached the top of the next hill he found only a mausoleum. It was a large round structure surrounded by an ornate columned portico. Each block of the stone edifice was carved from rock native to this planet. The top was an elegant metal dome created from ores mined locally. This particular metal shined brightly in the daylight and reflected back the stars at night. Picard recognized this place immediately. It was the resting place of President Jonathan Archer. Over the years he had visited the planet numerous times and knew that the monument existed, but never had he actually visited it. He couldn't imagine what this place had to do with his daughter or Q. The door was already opened and something in his gut told him that he needed to see inside.

A series of sconces positioned carefully about the space lit up the room highlighting the polished stone walls which were decorated with carved portions of speeches given by Archer.  _I think it's important . . . that we remember . . . the heroes who aren't with us_ , read Picard. He recalled that quote from when he learned about the Xindi conflict the loss of 27 crewmembers. He looked up at the inside of the dome and could see that it was painted with images of star clusters, nebulas, gas giants and planets that all looked down on the two stone sarcophagi in the center.

The one that caught his eye first boasted a carved beagle sleeping at the foot as though its master would soon awaken. Looking at the lid he was not surprised by the name. Etched into the heavy lid was 'Jonathan Beckett Archer 2112-2245' followed by list of his titles and accomplishments. For a moment he was almost afraid to look at the other tomb, but he felt compelled to see it. The former captain stood dumbstruck as he read 'Danaë D'Arcy Picard-Archer'. He looked at the dates and saw that the year of her passing was listed as 2191, but where a birth year should have been was only a question mark. Beneath that it read ' _So long as you hold me in your memory, I am with you_.'

"Do you still doubt me, Picard?" Q asked, startling the old man and bringing him back to the moment.

"H . . . How . . ." He gently placed his hand on the cool stone lid as he found his words. Though it was known that Archer married, history had recorded very little about his bride. The only thing Picard had ever heard was that she when died, Archer lost interest in his political career and when his term was over he retired to upstate New York and the home he had shared with her. The old captain didn't like looking at the grave of his only child, especially when he could see that she died younger than he was now. "What happened to her?"

"She lived a full life filled with happiness, sorrow, anger and excitement. I visited her before she died and she asked that I tell you that she always loved you and that she was sorry for her behavior that day at the academy and that you were right." The last thing Picard wanted to be was emotional in front of Q, but at this moment it was very difficult.

"I wish I could have been a part of it." The old captain whispered.

No sooner had he uttered this and he suddenly found himself standing on the bridge of the  _NX-01_  and there before the captain's chair was Danaë. He listened as she spoke back and forth with the Suliban Commander and discovered that they were holding Archer prisoner. His first instinct was to take command since he was the highest ranking officer, but he stopped himself. He was only an observer and this moment was hers. He listened to the banter between the adversaries and was initially disappointed because he thought she was simply negotiating. To his surprise she gave the command to seize control of the enemy's ships through the  _Enterprise's_  own computer. Watching her he was filled to almost bursting with pride. He had always believed her capable, but watching her step into her own was more fulfilling than anything he had accomplished on his own.

"Well done, Child." He said. For a second she moved her head slightly as though she might have heard him, but it was impossible. Suddenly the bridge and the  _NX-01_  dissolved and he was now in a space of complete darkness except for the images that danced around him in a circle. They were all moments from Danaë's life after she went back in time. He saw normal work days as well as days when she and Commander Tucker would do all they could to keep the engines from bursting at the seams. He witnessed pain and sorrow as well as narrow escapes and triumphs. He watched as she and Jonathan Archer grew closer becoming each other's emotional support and link to humanity during the Xindi conflict. Eventually that friendship grew and blossomed until Captain Picard saw them standing at Stargazer's point in the Grand Tetons exchanging vows.

He barely finished watching one event before new ones appeared before him. He saw the birth of his two grandsons. He watched them grow and was overwhelmed with joy. His old eyes sparkled at the sight of Archer helping his oldest fly a remote control star ship, but it was one image in particular made him catch his breath. It was of Danaë riding a horse with her youngest son just in front of her. The boy couldn't have been more than six or seven. He heard him ask if they could go faster and with a smile Danaë gave the horse a kick. It made him recalled the first time he put her on a horse and how she had requested the same thing. It seemed so long ago.  _Enjoy it while you can, my child, he will grow quickly and beat you before you know it_ , he thought to himself.

More of her life went by and now he could see her working with others to update and expand Starfleet Academy and bring it in line with the United Federation of Planets. He remembered hearing stories about the beginning of the Federation and how it had altered the academy, but although most of the founder's names were listed only one was known by the initials D. A. and no pictures were on display. There had been many theories all over the academy about this, but now, for the first time, he understood. D. A. was Danaë Archer. He also recalled a short but curious visit he received while at the academy. After winning the marathon on Danula II he was approached by the retired and very elderly Admiral Rene Beckett Archer, the grandson of President Archer. The old man shook his hand and told him that he had heard many stories about Jean-Luc Picard and had hoped to live long enough to meet him. At the time he had thought the encounter rather odd, but he only now understood that the admiral was also his own great-grand child.

Suddenly the whirlwind of images morphed and he found himself in his old quarters on  _Enterprise-D_. He looked around, momentarily disoriented, and then saw his daughter sleeping in the bed that unfolded from the couch. Her doll was tucked snuggly under her arm. He went and knelt down next her. Tears formed in his eyes as thought of all he had learned and all that she would do. Stretching out his hand he just barely touched her fine curls, afraid he would wake her.

"Sleep child. You have a long road ahead of you, but it is more amazing than any journey you can possibly imagine. I can't promise that it will all be happy or that you won't be hurt along the way, but I can promise that you will have a full life. I'm so deeply proud of you. There is so much that you and I have to talk about . . . so much that I need to tell you . . ." He looked down at the small cherubim face and realized that more than anything he just wanted to enjoy this moment with her. "I suppose all of that can wait a while longer. For now, I want nothing more than for you to simply be my child." He kissed her forehead and sat down next to her and gently took her small hand in his. They sat together in this fashion for some time before sleep crept in and his eyes closed.

When he awoke he was sitting in his high back chair before the window just as he had been when Q appeared. A first he thought everything had only been a dream and was prepared to dismiss it all. He started to reach for his tea only to notice his PADD sitting on the table. Curious he typed in the name Danaë D'Arcy and his eyes grew wide as the personnel file for Lieutenant Commander Danaë D'Arcy-Archer appeared. He had not dreamed it at all. His fingers trembled and he opened the file and found no record of her before her discovery on board the Suliban ship. It was all true. Q had told the truth. He then recalled that Q had said that she would disappear from the present time in five months. That's not much time to find her, he thought. Marie came into the room to let him know that his supper was ready and was surprised to see him so excited.

"Are you all right, Jean-Luc?" She asked.

"Yes, there is much I have to do. There are things I have to tell her . . . and an inheritance to pass on."


End file.
